December 7, 2022 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

Rep. Omar blasts GOP leader for fueling a ‘constant stream of hate’

By Niara Savage Contributing Writer

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called House Minor ity Leader Kevin McCar thy’s (R-Calif.) renewed threat to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee an attempt to “gin up fear and hate against Somali-Americans” in a statement this week.

McCarthy vowed during an appearance on Fox News last year to kick Omar off the committee if Republicans won the majority in the House. He doubled down on that promise on Twitter over the weekend.

“Last year, I promised that when I became Speaker, I would remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee based on her repeated anti-Semitic and antiAmerican remarks,” McCarthy wrote in a tweet. “I’m keeping that promise.”

Omar said McCarthy’s pre occupation with removing her from the committee doesn’t address the issues most impor tant to voters. “McCarthy’s effort to repeatedly single

me out for scorn and hatred— including threatening to strip me from my committee—does nothing to address the issues our constituents deal with. It does nothing to address infla tion, health care, or solve the climate crisis,” she said.

While Republicans gained control of the House during the midterm elections and McCarthy won the party’s nomination to become the next House speaker, his ascension to the role remains uncertain.

McCarthy

Buffalo mass shooter gets life in prison

Social media condemned for inciting his hate

By Stacy M. Brown

AWhite man who trav eled to a Buffalo grocery store in May and killed 10 African Americans, includ ing Black Press writer Kather ine Massey, pled guilty to 25 criminal counts on Monday, Nov. 28, and will spend the

rest of his life in prison.

A grand jury previously indicted Payton Gendron, 19, on domestic terrorism, firstdegree murder, attempted murder, hate crimes, and weapons possession. A single domestic terrorism motivated by hate charge carries an automatic life sentence upon conviction.

Prosecutors said Gendron acknowledged that he com

mitted the heinous crimes “for the future of the White race.” A lawyer for the victims indicated relief that the state’s case didn’t go to trial. “It avoids a lengthy trial that they believe would be very difficult for the families,” said Terrence Con nors, an attorney representing the victims’ families. “I think it was pretty clear they had no real defense.”

in January.

No Democrats are expected to back McCarthy, so he can afford to lose just a small number of Republican votes. At least four GOP members have already signaled their opposition to McCarthy’s bid for speaker.

Even if McCarthy does become the next House speak er, his plan to strip Omar from

■ See OMAR on page 7

Proposed rail merger would ramp up environmental injustice

News Analysis

By Hazel Trice Edney Contributing Writer

Now that the midterm elections have drawn to a close, the nation is gradually shifting its focus from polls and partisanship back to dayto-day issues that shape the future of our com munities at a local level—things like permitting, zoning, city council meetings, regulatory hear ings, and more. And while such matters don’t drive flashy national headlines and animate talking heads on CNN or Fox News, they weigh every bit as heavily on the lives of Americans.

Take for example, the ongoing review by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board of a pro posed mega-merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads. While regulatory review of a rail merger may seem mundane to casual observers in comparison to a midterm election, the fact of the matter is that this merger has massive implications to communities near the rail routes impacted by the merger—especially communities of color.

In September, the Trice Edney News Wire wrote at length about the environmental jus tice concerns related to this proposed merger. As is so often the case, minority communities—

which are disproportionately close to the rel evant rail lines in places like Houston—face a host of negative environmental impacts if the merger is approved.

This case sets a precedent that could affect how such reviews are handled around the nation, according to leading environmental activists.

State’s new election districts produced no upsets

By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer

A special five-judge panel released new Minnesota con gressional and legislative maps in February that many believe will set the state and national political playing field for the next 10 years. With such redistricting leading to heated controversy and court chal lenges around the country, how have Minnesota’s new election boundaries fared so far?

According to the APM Research Lab, a non-partisan team of researchers, the newly redrawn boundaries would not drastically change election outcomes. The 2022 midterms elections results ultimately bore this out.

All key state offices that were up for election did not change hands as all Minnesota Demo crat incumbents won reelection.

Additionally, both the Minne sota House and Senate in Janu ary will be controlled by the DFL for the first time since 2013, as well as the governor’s office.

“When people talked about districts being red or blue,” explained Helmstetter, “it’s simply based on past voting records. If the Republican usu ally wins by, let’s say, 85% or more, they consider that a solid red or solid Republican district.”

APM Research Lab pointed out the new Minnesota district boundaries in the following manner:

• Democrat if the district favored Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020

• Republican if the district favored Trump in both 2016 and 2020

The MSR recently asked APM Research Lab Manag ing Director Craig Helmstet ter to shed some light on the oft-mentioned “red state, blue state, purple state” references in mainstream media accounts leading up to the November elections.

• Split if the district favored Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020

Election results data comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State office, Helmstetter explained. “They released data down to the precinct level that

With more freight trains rolling through Black communities and other communities of color, residents can expect more emissions, dirtier air, slower emergency response times due to lengthy waits at rail crossings, and more. Given the challenges already looming over Black communities, from higher rates of asthma in children to lagging access to public services, the Canadian Pacific merger repre sents another drop in an ever-filling bucket of environmental injustice.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has an important role to play in mitigating such concerns – a role they recognize. In their own words, the “STB has a clear role in advancing environmental justice for minority and lowincome communities, and the Board admin isters that role as part of its environmental review process.”

Our last story on this subject pointed to the STB’s failure to live up to this mandate given, among other things, the original plan to host the only public hearings on the merger in a historically White area, Vidor, as opposed to more representa tive locations in Harris County or even Houston itself. These equity concerns must be meaningfully

Thanksgiving meal also signed up new voters

By Al Brown Contributing Writer

Thanksgiving Day brought the anticipation of homecooked hot meals to many residents of St. Paul’s East Side. This year, the food was served at Nanny’s Jamaican Kitchen on Rice Street and pre sented by the Minnesota Rapid Response Coalition (MRRC), marking the fifth year of offer ing hot meals to members of the community.

Coalition founder Alexander Bourne, an East St. Paul native and former Ward 6 City Coun cil candidate, started the event, called “Alexander Bourne’s Annual Thanksgiving Dinner to Go,” to find a way to give back to his community because as a youth he didn’t recall seeing these types of charitable out ings around the holiday.

“I was trying to fill service

gaps in the market on Thanks giving Day, wanting to give disenfranchised people in our community an opportunity to feel included and be a part of something, know that they are loved, and have an extended family and community,” said Bourne.

As the crowd moved through

Nanny’s front door they found a voter’s registration form at the counter. Part of the protocol was to register to vote, if unreg istered, before receiving your hot Thanksgiving meal consist ing of turkey, dressing, greens, and mac & cheese. However, no one registered or not was

will need to win a majority vote when the new members take office and hold a deciding vote

“The federal government should take every opportunity to establish equity between Afri can Americans and those companies that do business in our communities. Specifically, the

U.S. Department of Transportation should assure that equity is the guiding principle for attaining environmental and climate justice,” says Dr. Ben Chavis, who coined the term “environmental racism” nearly 40 years ago as chair of the United Church of Christ’s Commis sion on Racial Justice.

“Before a decision is made concerning the

merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads, the racial impact on our communities should be given the highest pri ority,” says Chavis, now president/CEO of the

National Newspaper Publishers Association, the Black Press of America.

Rep. Ilhan Omar

Photo by Chris Juhn

Community members registering to vote. Photo by Al Brown

■

Victims of the Buffalo shooting massacre

MGN

Celebrating Moms of All Ages

Cecilia Stanton Adams

My mom, Cecilia Stanton Adams, is an exemplary role model to me and many others in our community. She grew up in New York City in the 1980s and knew from a young age that there was so much more to the world than the reality she’d grown up in.

After coming out as gay at just 16, she ventured out on her own, ultimately becoming the first in our family to attend college. But while education and career were important to my mom, she also always knew that she was meant to be a mother, so at just 20 years old she sought out options for gay women to have children and decided to try out arti ficial insemination on her 21st birthday. She calls me the best birthday present she’s ever received.

Despite having a child at such a young age, my mom still aggressively pursued her education, taking me along to college classes and setting me up in a playpen at her work-study job.

She’d eventually complete her bachelor’s and two master’s programs, much of it with me by her side. Pursuing a career in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), she studied unconscious bias in an academic setting and took her knowledge to colleges like Lehigh University, where she started numerous pipeline programs to spearhead the school’s DEI efforts.

My mom is truly the definition of a phenomenal mom and I am so grateful to have the oppor tunity to nominate her for this award.

—Celisia Stanton

Sheletta Brundidge

This woman is remarkable. Sheletta Brundidge is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, radio host, entrepre neur, and picture book author. She founded a podcast ing platform and production company called Sheletta MakesMeLaugh.com to amplify diverse voices in media.

Above all, she is a Christian woman, devoted to her family. She has four children, three of whom are special needs, having autism. She has dedicated herself to find ing all means possible of reaching her children at the level they are and helping them to achieve the necessary skills to be productive young people.

She has written children’s books for each child that has greatly improved their abilities to reach educational goals as special needs children. Her mission is to encourage and advocate for other parents who have special needs children and educate parents on ways to help these children thrive.

—Shirley Frank

Linda Clark

My mother is Linda Clark, born in California and raised in Kansas City, Mo. She came to Mpls in the early ‘80s with just me and two sisters. My mother was and still is a very hard-working mother, grand mother, great grandmother.

Linda has a heart of gold, is always willing to give her last, and would do anything to sacrifice for us. My mother has always been here for us. There are now five of us—no matter what we have been through, she’s always been an advocate for us, and always striving. She’s generous, nourishing, compassionate and loving.

—Tiffany Crowder

Sheri Clark

My name is Donique Sims and I would love to nominate my mother Sheri Clark. Being the oldest of her three children, I’ve seen my mother pick up extra jobs for the holidays, feed friends and neighbors, and make groceries for them from our kitchen while being a true single mother.

There was no child support or outside help. She was also a foster mother to many kids throughout my life, so we always had to share her.

My mother prided herself on providing experiences most kids in foster care never had, like horseback riding, camp, and live plays as well as helping keep up with their self-care. She always goes over and beyond to help any and everyone.

—Donique Sims

Elsie Pratt Moss Clemons

I was blessed with a Southern Grenada Mississippi mother. I was blessed with a faithful church-going type of mama. As a child, I was at church every Sunday morning.

I was blessed with a three-meal-a-day mother.

It seems to me that she attends every funeral in the city with service in mind. She feeds our pastor weekly with profound dedication. She truly believes… Train up a child the way he or she should go and they will not depart.

She has been my backbone all my life. She stood up in my struggles every time. I’ve watched her stand up for other families in their time of need. She loves her family, gardening, cooking, attending family reunions, and helping others. She is the matriarch of our family.

—Juanita Moss

Arlene El-Amin

300 words are truly only one sentence to all that I could say about my momma! Arlene “Essie Mae” ElAmin is the epitome of a phenomenal woman.

First one up, last one down. She was my first teacher; my first Girl Scout troop leader; my first busi ness internship; my first financial institution (investor and debt collector); my first clothes designer (and I was custom fly); my first chef (we ate good); my first boss (she had already laid the groundwork over the years... I was ready); my first example of what and how a woman should be for her family, friends and the community.

This was the bar my first mentor set for me. You were this for me, my brothers and sister, and many others throughout our North Minneapolis community for the past 43 years.

I stand in awe, humbled, and here to serve you till the end the way you served me from the beginning. Giving my QM her flowers with her five children, 31 grandchildren, and 16 greatgrandchildren (five more on the way).

I nominate my “Queen Mother” Arlene El-Amin.

Talisha Garrett

—Kamillah El-Amin

Aside from being a God-fearing woman, my wife is a woman of many hats. She has a job, yet she makes sure food is on the table daily (whether it’s home-cooked or take-out).

She keeps all five of our kids in line, which includes two in college. In addition, when I’m so focused on my job and my businesses, she reminds me not to get my priorities mixed up.

I couldn’t ask for a better wife.

Star Grigsby

—Quartez Garrett

I nominate my mother Star Grigsby for the 2022 year and every year. She’s a loving mother that goes over and beyond to help and provide not only for her kids but everybody.

I believe she is under-appreciated for all she does. She is my rock and my shining star. She has been through so much and still can put a smile on her face and yours while telling her jokes and getting into character as Pickles the Clown. She goes to bat for all nine of her grandkids. She will show up and show out in any way possible. I nominate her because she deserves it.

—Jenese Thomas

Jean Hollins

It wasn’t until I became a mature mother that I could look back on my experiences and perspectives to see how amaz ing my mama was and continues to be. My mama has shown me unconditional love and support all of my life. Her devotion to me did not waver through my turbulent hormonal teen years, making her a grandmother at 35. I would not be the woman I am today had it not been for my mama. My mama sacrificed her dreams, desires, and responsibilities so my mistakes wouldn’t prevent me from furthering my education and achieving my goals. At times, she voiced her disappointment in my choices but never gave up on me and encouraged me all along the way.

Through it all, she has been there for me. I’m reminded of the poem “Footsteps in the Sand” when I think of how she has always been there for me.

My mama is the only constant in my life, and I will do my best to show my mama just how important she has been in molding me into who I am while we both have life in our bodies. I want to thank Sister Spokes man for providing an event for me to do just so.

Mama, I’m grateful for your love, support, and encouragement that continues to push me toward my goals and dreams.

—Deatra Hollins

Fit in. Stand out.

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The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder is pleased to present the honorees for the December 3, 2022’s “Sister Spokesman: Celebrating Moms of All Ages” event.

She is Elsie Pratt Moss Clemons!

Celebrating Moms of All Ages

Betty Sanders

Zakkiyya Jeter

I’m nominating my mom for her devotion to sup porting the creativity and early education of Black Muslim Youth in Minnesota.

For over 30 years, my mom has developed cur riculum and programs that affirm the fullness of Black Muslim youth’s identity. In 2007, she opened one of Minnesota’s first Muslim-affirming early childhood daycare centers and developed a curriculum that taught youth Arabic and sign language.

Currently, she organizes with Masjid An Nur in North Min neapolis to cultivate affirming art programming for Muslim youth by creating a free summer arts day camp. My mom is directly or indirectly responsible for nurtur ing the creativity and early literacy of youth across Minnesota, Michigan and New York, and she deserves her roses.

She is also the reason I am an award-winning poet today; she always read to me (from the womb until I could read and write my own stories) and encouraged the creativity of me and my brother (an award-winning singer-songwriter), and for that I am eternally grateful.

—Sagirah Shahid

TerryAnn Nash

This is a woman who goes above and beyond for her community, taking on such a motherly role with every project that she undertakes, at the same time supporting her adult son through his life transition with such grace and poise.

She does all this while carrying the most loving, bright smile that brightens everyone’s mood that she comes in contact with in spite of her own feelings at the time. If anyone deserves to be nominated, it is TerryAnn.

—LaSheria Murphy

Meghann Oglesby

I’m nominating Meghann because she is a fantastic mom. Meghann has a seven-year-old daughter Morgan. Morgan is a beautiful and kind child, but she has special needs.

Meghann is a single mom and has a very demand ing career at MPR. However, Meghann always puts Morgan first. She takes Morgan everywhere she goes; she is often out with us on shopping trips, dinner, and movie outings, all activities.

Meghan recently purchased a home, and Morgan was the top priority, as she is not mobile, so Meghan had to pur chase a certain style of home, regardless of location and price.

Although Meghan doesn’t get much alone time, I never hear her complain. She does it all with style and a smile. Parenting is as hectic as it is a blessing, but having a special needs child has different sets of hecticness. She also steps in from time to time and helps with her nephew and helps in other community roles.

I just want Meghann to know that the world sees her and recognizes the gift she gives every day as a mother.

—Denise Butler

Sheronda Orridge

My mother Dr. Sheronda Orridge life’s work is to leave the world a much better place. She does that by working with the entire community and is heavily fo cused on working with youth, ensuring that they have a voice and that their voices are heard.

This past summer, she worked with youth to trans form two empty lots into community healing spaces. She also works at a homeless youth shelter and has her own business, Loving Spirit Holistic Services.

—Akeeylah Watkins

Gail Pattain

When God made my mom, he truly made her in his image. He made her someone who would live life in a way that inspired others. Inspired them to be kind, to be compassionate, and to give deeply to others.

She is the backbone of our family, the person who holds us together. She does this with her unconditional love and the support that she gives. No matter what I am going through or what I ask of her, she is always there with an ear willing to listen and encouraging words that soothe my soul. She prioritizes supporting her community in a variety of ways including feeding the homeless, fellowshipping with those in areas experiencing struggle, and protesting when she sees injustices taking place. She supports her church as a pastor, worship leader, and prayer warrior.

All of these things make her not only a wonderful person but an amazing mother. Words can not express the gratitude that I have in my heart for God blessing me with a mother like her. She lives her life in a way that gives all that she is to those that she loves.

All who encounter her leave her presence blessed by her goodness and love, a love that is pure and genuine and wishes nothing but the best for others. For all these reasons and so many more, she deserves this nomination for phenomenal mom.

—Ashley Pattain

The reason I want to nominate my mom is because she is a phenomenal mother. My mom has gone above and beyond in my life and for the community.

Some of her accomplishments are: first, being hon ored in the book called “Heroines”; second, she was on Channel 9 News during the Race for the Cure breast cancer walk commercial; third was the American Cancer Society breakfast with Teddy Bridgewater, former quarter back from the Minnesota Vikings, and other breast cancer sur vivors; fourth, my mother and founder of the African American Breast Cancer Alliance, accepted donations from the Minnesota Lynx for continued support for breast cancer survivors during Minnesota Lynx halftime game in 2019.

My mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor for almost 28 years.

Lastly, my mother has been an advocate for women of color, providing support and resources for over 25 years, and has received many awards.

My mother, unique in so many ways, is now the CEO of a small Black-owned boutique called Unique Fashion & Accessories for almost nine years, now located in Brooklyn Center.

She is such a great role model to me, our family, my friends, her friends, and anyone she comes in contact with. She is definitely loved by many.

—Runeka Edwards

Norma Jean Williams

To a woman who has always made her children the center of her universe. A woman who has laughed and cried with us through the ups and downs. She is a woman who has always found time to encourage everyone around her, even when she’s going through things herself.

A woman who has always welcomed anyone in need, never once turning anyone away. She epitomizes love and kindness. A rare treasure that all who experience her presence are blessed because of it.

My mother, Norma Jean Williams, my rock, my everything. My mother of a lifetime, with every essence of my being. I love you beyond infinity.

—Tracey Williams-Dillard

Elizabeth “Lizz” Wilson

Good afternoon! My name is Sadie Facion. I would like to enter my sister Elizabeth “Lizz” Wilson for recognition. Lizz played basketball as a point guard throughout her four years of college at Lindenwood near St. Louis, Mo. She graduated with a degree in communications.

Lizz is a single parent and has worked consistently first as a security officer, a Metro Mobility Transportation agent, and as a Low Voltage Technician! She is a member of the Electrician Minority Association. As a result, you can find her often on the North Side of Minneapolis trying to interest youth and adults in the electrical field.

Lizz is very, very, very loving and is a guiding force for family, community and friends! She still teaches basketball and shocks the audience with her skills! If family needs her, she is there before you hang up the phone! That’s my sister and she needs to know her worth.

—Sadie Facion

Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo Guest Contributor

What stressed you out when you were growing up?

For most of us, thoughts of climate change, a school shooting, a global pandemic, or having to get enough likes on social media were likely nowhere on our radar. For this generation of youth, however, they are facing many of the same challenges we did while navigating unprecedented upheavals of their school and social lives.

Last year the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) led a coalition of organizations in calling on healthcare pro viders, systems and leaders to treat youth mental health as a national emergency. U.S. Sur geon General Vivek Murthy has also recognized this grow ing threat to our children’s health, last year issuing an ad visory from his office focused on “Protecting Youth Mental Health.”

In response, this year we have seen the AAP and the United States Preventive Ser vices Task Force (USPSTF), a panel of national experts that guides primary care doctors, put forward recommendations for pediatricians and others taking care of children to start universal screening for mental health concerns.

The USPSTF last month recommended that all pri mary care doctors screen children aged eight and up for anxiety and those ages 12 and up for depression and suicide. They cited data from the 2018-2019 Na tional Survey of Children’s Health that found that 7.8% of children and adolescents aged three to 17 years had a current anxiety disorder. Also, 2019 data from the Na tional Center for Health Sta tistics shows that suicide was the second-leading cause of

Threats to our children’s mental health are on the rise

death among youth aged 10 to 19 years.

For our Black children, data tells us that they have lower rates of attempting suicide, but factors like feeling less connected at school, experi encing racism, or losing a par ent or caregiver to COVID-19 are contributing to increasing numbers of our children dy ing by suicide. Black children are now nearly twice as likely to die by suicide than White children.

The stresses of racism, lack of connection, community violence, or having to navigate periods of food or housing in security all have been shown to contribute to not only poor mental health but interfere with day-to-day functioning, resulting in difficulty concen trating, remembering tasks, or making healthy or safe deci sions.

This has long-term impacts with untreated anxiety and depression in childhood and adolescence, increasing the likelihood of a future anxiety disorder or depression as they become adults. So what can parents and family members look for?

They are no longer interested in spending time with their friends, talking to their family, or doing things they used to enjoy like playing sports.

They may sleep a lot more, have a decreased appetite, and like to spend a lot more time alone. They are often de scribed as distant or can seem more on edge, irritable, or have sudden outbursts.

If you have concerns about a child or teen in your life, we always recommend you start by talking to them. Having a relationship with a safe, stable adult is an incredible buffer against the many stresses fac ing our children today. When children do share with you, try

lying anxiety or depression with drugs and alcohol, so it is important to not make assumptions about which came first, as sometimes it isn’t clear. What’s important is that they know you want to help them be as healthy and whole as possible. What to do

If at any point you need help or if your child is talking about hurting themselves or others, we encourage you to talk to your child’s pediatrician. We can screen for depression, anxiety, and other behavior concerns, help families navi gate these difficult conversa tions, and connect them to ap propriate treatment, whether it be medication or therapy.

If concerns escalate before you can get in to your doctor, there are a number of sup ports available. Schools often have counselors you can reach

out to and see if they can start therapy while in school.

If your child is in an im mediate crisis, there are also hotlines you can call. I rec ommend starting with either the Minnesota crisis text line (text MN to 741741) or calling your local county crisis team (call **274747), both available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; as is the national suicide and crisis hotline, a network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the num ber 9-8-8.

do is call the police to respond to a mental health crisis.

A recent study showed that in 2021 pediatric visits to the ED for suicidal thoughts had increased 59% since 2016, with hospitalizations increas ing 57% between the fall of 2019 and 2020. Clearly, our children are in the midst of challenging times we have not before experienced.

So do not be alarmed if your family doctor is now asking questions about anxi ety and depression in your eight-year-old. Being aware that our children’s struggle is real, finding the time and space to listen, and if need ed, connecting them to help early on can make a world of difference. It can mean they get to spend more time on this world with us.

For my patients I especially highlight the county crisis teams as they often have a mobile team that can come to you. The last thing we want to

Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo is the medical director for the State of Minnesota’s Med icaid/Medical Assistance & MinnesotaCare programs and practices as a general pe diatrician in Brooklyn Center with Park Nicollet. He is a board member of the Minne sota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and an adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and son.

Signs of trouble

For younger kids, those el ementary school-aged, anxiety can take many forms. Com monly children will have exces sive worries about changes in their daily routines, (like who picks them up or drops them off from school), separation anxiety from caregivers, a de creased appetite, or attempts to avoid school or other social activities by reporting nonspe cific pains like head or stom ach aches.

For pre-teens and adoles cents, we often see kids with draw into themselves. This looks like children who have a notable personality shift.

to listen first and don’t jump to solving their concerns or tell ing them why they shouldn’t be worried or sad.

You will also want to make sure you and your child are doing what you can to ensure they are getting good sleep, eating a healthy diet, and find ing ways to be consistently physically active. Sleep and ex ercise in particular are closely tied to our mood.

We also know that some times children and teens be come anxious or depressed when they are using drugs like marijuana, alcohol or nicotine. They can also be trying to treat their under

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Black children are now nearly twice as likely to die by suicide than White children.

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American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN).

In his initial promise to remove Omar, McCarthy characterized her as “anti-Semitic” and “anti-American.”

Omar, who was born in Somalia,

the committee could be out of reach.

Below McCarthy’s threatening tweet, Twitter provided additional context about the workings of House committees, clarifying that Omar can only be removed from the committee by a majority vote in the House.

noted in her statement that she has “been a proud citizen of the United States for more than 20 years,” add ing, “this constant stream of hate has

size of the White population and included his fears of eth nic and cultural replacement of White people.

A self-described White supremacist, Gendron previ ously pled not guilty to federal hate crime charges. Federal law allows for the death penalty in those cases. He still faces 27 federal counts, including 10 counts of hate crimes resulting in deaths, three counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill, and 13 counts of using, car rying or discharging a firearm related to a hate crime.

Prosecutors said Gendron possessed a 180-page mani festo that revealed troubling perceptions the self-avowed White supremacist had. He complained of the dwindling

R ail

Continued from page 1

Gendron described himself as a fascist, a White suprema cist, and an anti-Semite. Unlike the many unarmed Black people killed during encoun ters with law enforcement, the White racist who live-streamed his shooting spree is alive to plead his case in court.

“While past violent White supremacist attacks seem to have factored into this heinous act, we must acknowledge that extremist rhetoric espoused by some media and political leaders on the right promoting theories that vilify or dehuman ize segments of our society, like ‘the great replacement theory,’ is a factor too,” wrote U.S. House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson in an earlier

ing regulators.

addressed if the STB expects its words to be taken seriously.

But environmental justice isn’t the only factor weighing on this merger. There are also serious and potentially disqualifying issues with the way Canadian Pacific has conducted itself through the review process. The com pany has repeatedly provided stake holders and regulators with unreliable data, seemingly intentionally mislead

RedistRict

Continued from page 1

shows how you know individual jurisdictions in the state voted,” he pointed out.

While many local political pundits predicted a Democratic sweep of the top statewide offices—governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state auditor—“these statewide races typically do go Democrat,” Helmstetter said. “That’s why Minnesota is typically consid ered a blue state.” But he admit ted it wasn’t as widely predicted

Continued from page 1

turned away from receiving a meal.

Bourne and his volunteer team prepared 650 meals. Some of the meals were served off-site to the general public at different locations around St. Paul. Bourne hopes that through this event people will see that if everyone does a little we can make significant impacts, especially in the area of food insecurity.

An attendee who wanted to be identified only as T.J. spoke admiringly of the charitable food giveaway as he stood out side waiting to be served: “The fact that this is done by a Blackowned organization or business is even more commendable.

statement.

led to hundreds of death threats and credible plots against me and my fam ily.”

McCarthy’s doubling-down on his

threat puts Omar and members of the Muslim community at risk, said Jayl ani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) National Dep uty Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell added that the orga nization condemns the White supremacist terrorist attack tar geting Black men and women in Buffalo and the racist rhetoric that has sparked such violence.

“Rep. Kevin McCarthy doubled down on dangerous White suprem acy [and] stands against Congress woman Omar,” Hussein said. “His decision validates continued attacks against the congresswoman and her family and community.”

In September, an attack on a St. Cloud, Minnesota mosque became the fifth attack targeting a mosque in Minnesota in 2022 —the highest in a single year in the state’s history.

White supremacy, antisemi tism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bigotry must be held accountable for the violence they inspire.” Mitchell added that CAIR has often spoken against those who promote the “great replacement” and other racist conspiracy theories.

Omar doubled-down on her own vow following McCarthy’s comments. “I will not stop fighting for more equi table, more just and more humane policies. I will not stop advocating for peace and human rights around the world,” she said. “And I will not stop fighting for an America that does not single out people based on their race or religion.”

Niara Savage welcomes reader responses to nsavage@spokesman-recorder.com.

in an area predominantly popu lated by Black people.

Gendron’s manifesto noted, “Zip code 14208 in Buffalo has the highest Black percentage that is close enough to where I live.” According to the U.S. Census, the zip code is 78% Black and among the top 2% of zip codes nationwide with the highest percentage of the Black population. In addition, it has the highest rate of the Black population of any zip code in upstate New York.

on social media… What this one individual did has been shared with the rest of the world as well as the live-streaming of this military-style execution that occurred in the streets of my hometown,” said Hochul.

“The constant repetition of White supremacist conspiracy theories on social media and even mainstream media outlets has led to horrific violence in places as distant as Christchurch, El Paso, Oslo and Charleston,” Mitchell asserted earlier.

“Those who promote racism,

On the data front, the STB instruct ed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern to address “inconsistency in the calculation of traffic density num bers” submitted to the STB’s Office of Environmental Analysis.”

In another instance of less-thantransparent messaging, Canadian Pacific also used a video in an attempt to demonstrate the efficiency of trains moving through Houston. The problem was the fact that the video presented an intentionally incom plete picture, as noted by rival railroad Union Pacific, which showed “only a sliver of the KCS train’s run through

that the Minnesota Legislature would go blue as well.

“It’s not so typical that dur ing an election like this, that both the Senate and the House would be won by a majority of Democrats,” Helmstetter said.

Population shifts as noted by the 2020 U.S. Census also play a role in how districts will vote in elections, Helmstetter con tinued. “People move over time, and there’s different migration patterns. In our state, for exam ple, more people are moving out of rural areas and into suburban areas and urban areas. So, we had to redraw those boundaries to accommodate those changes.

“Some people consider the boundaries relatively fair here in Minnesota compared to other

“I take nothing away from the non-Black companies that host or support community advoca cy programs or events, but it’s also great imagery when Black communities are supported by Black businesses. It’s good to show the generosity of Black entities,” T.J. said.

Some were surprised that they were asked to register to vote before receiving a plate, but Bourne felt it was important to have voter registration com bined with the food giveaway.

“The truth is, we need our people involved in the political process. and that begins with them using their voice at the polls.

“In my opinion, if we just walk around giving away free food and not empowering them through voter registra tion, that would be a disservice. That’s why we put in place that small but significant stipulation,” Bourne explained.

The event sponsors includ

the Houston area.”

told National Newspaper Pub lishers Association’s live daily morning show, Let It Be Known, that Gendron surveilled both the community and the grocery store as part of the attack’s planning. Brown said the teen surveilled the area for several days and targeted a busy place

In reality, the video Canadian Pacific claimed to show a relatively smooth 74-minute transit through Houston left out two hours of delay at Dawes, Texas and another two hours waiting near Rosenberg, Texas while Union Pacific served existing customers. So instead of the 74 minutes Canadian Pacific claimed it took to get across the city, the truth is that it took nearly eight hours for the train to cross the city.

That’s a lot of idling. A lot of wait ing. And a lot of traffic.

Delays in Houston are far from the only traffic concerns. Metra, Chica go’s regional passenger rail provider, is

parts of the country where they’re really dominated by one party or another.”

He cited Texas as an example: “Texas is a pretty diverse state, and there are a lot of Democrats

“Well, this manifesto tells everything to us,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul after the shootings. “And that is what’s so bone-chilling about it is that there is the ability for people to write and subscribe to such philosophies filled with hate.

“The White supremacist acts of terrorism are being fomented

opposed to the merger due to the fact that it would lead to “a big increase in freight train traffic throughout the northwest suburbs, and all that extra traffic could disrupt their service and cause extensive delays.”

The best one can say about the merger proposal, at this point, is that it is woefully incomplete. A more accurate take, though, is that the proposal is lacking because the facts simply don’t warrant its approval.

Policymakers who have looked at the merger have raised concerns.

It was enough for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois to state that he doesn’t “believe what they [Canadian

used the example of the Fifth Congressional District, where incumbent U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar easily won reelection with over 75% of the votes. She has rep resented the district, which

in the state, but the Republicans have so much control… They’ve exercised a lot of control in draw ing the new boundaries to the advantage of the Republicans.”

On the flip side, Helmstetter

includes Minneapolis and sur rounding suburbs, since 2019, a district that has typically leaned Democratic for several decades.

“It’s really highly unlikely that someone from a different

Massey, one of Gendron’s victims, spent her life trying to clean up and help her com munity. While she retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Massey, 72, remained active in her com munity as the Cherry Street block club president and as a columnist for the Buffalo Challenger, an NNPA member newspaper.

“She was the greatest per son you will ever meet in your life,” her nephew, Demetrius Massey, told reporters.

Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent.

Pacific] produced is accurate and it’s certainly not complete.”

There’s no shortage of reasons to hope that the STB will reject this application, especially given all of the contradicting and misleading esti mates of the merger’s impact. And while the talking heads on CNN may not stay up all night talking about exit polls as this decision is awaited, the stakes are just as high for a significant number of communities facing the merger on the ground.

party is going to get elected in the Fifth Congressional Dis trict,” Helmstetter predicted. “[Because] the voting record of the district is so heavily Demo crats, it’s just extremely unlikely that a Republican or someone from any other party is going to get elected.”

As a result, we asked Helm stetter if the media’s ‘red stateblue state’ reporting can have an adverse effect on voter turnout, especially among Blacks and communities of color. “If we just talk about this district or that district already destined to go for a Republican or a Democrat, that probably doesn’t do us a lot of good in terms of encouraging people to get involved,” Helm stetter admitted.

“There are a lot of issues that are super important and that deserve a lot of attention. The problem is that the other stuff is sexier than what the school district’s budget is, or the city council’s latest policy, but these are things that ultimately do impact our daily lives.”

APM Research Lab is currently working on a post-election proj ect: “We’re actually working on a national survey that asks people about their experiences voting and to see whether people felt they had an easy time to vote or were discriminated against or whatever,” Helmstetter said.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown

Hazel Trice Edney writes for Trice Edney News Wire. This story is republished with permission.

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

“I will not stop advocating for peace and human rights around the world.”

“The White supremacist acts of terrorism are being fomented on social media.”

“Some

Alexander Bourne Submitted photo

Reviving Roots Therapy and Wellness

Black Business SPOTLIGHT

By Tiffany Johnson Contributing Writer

Reviving Roots Therapy and Wellness is a Minneap olis-based resource whose mission is “to create a Black centered, Black serving, Black affirming communal space, conjuring a legacy of health, wealth and healing,” according to its website.

Founded by Black men tal health therapist Mar lee James in 2019, Reviv ing Roots offers individual therapy services as well as professional counseling ser vices that help organizations improve employee mental well-being.

James is a Minnesota na tive who carries a strong personal dedication to health and wellness, espe cially within the Black com munity. Before becoming a fully licensed therapist in 2019, she spent a consider able amount of time working in wellness programs, mainly within collegiate communi ties.

“I had worked in about five different organizations at that point,” said James. “They made sure that I was on each of those websites as the one token Black per son at the organization. But then a lot of the things in

the way that they operated did not match. I knew once I was fully licensed, I was go ing to leave. And so that’s what I did.”

In early 2020, James was prepared to open a new space in South Minneapolis. She recalled scrambling to get her space ready as CO VID numbers rose. “I had a big green couch and beauti ful chairs and beautiful art,” reminisced James.

Due to quarantine man dates, James needed to postpone the opening and quickly pivoted to tele

A ‘Black centered, Black serving, Black affirming space’

I realized through this work that we just don’t like the options that we have.”

38th and Chicago Ave. inter section, the epicenter of the George Floyd Memorial.

“We were told to be ready if someone was breaking into our home. But at the

5%

health as a way to provide services to the community.

Soon after, the murder of George Floyd shook the city of Minneapolis. James lived only a few blocks from the

to

Understanding is everything.

same time, I’m doing ther apy with people,” explained James.

Because of the trauma that Minnesota’s Black community faced in the af

termath of George Floyd’s murder, there was a massive influx of people who needed Reviving Root’s specific ser vice offerings, like culturally specific individual therapy and professional counseling. “I had at least 100 referrals, and they were all Black folk wanting only a Black thera pist because of what had happened,” said James.

James was a participant in Finnegan Brewery’s entre preneurship program called Finnovation Lab. As a Finno vation Fellow, James was provided with the support

and resources to envision a different future of Black wellness in the Twin Cities through Reviving Roots. This future would be inclusive and provide the care, servic es and tools that the Black community actually needs, yet too often does not have access to.

“I did a lot of community research, surveys and inter views,” said James. “I real ized my original thought was that Black folks didn’t want to go to therapy, and they didn’t want to take care of their mental health. But then

James explained how her research findings unveiled how there are a number of common barriers that pre vent Black people from par ticipating in health and well ness resources, like White practitioners who are dis connected from cultural is sues, premium price points for services, and lack of Black providers: “This field has only 5% of people of color…so there’s not a lot of representation.”

Reviving Roots is working to fill this gap by providing a plethora of services to our local Black community like yoga, mindful fitness, men tal health therapy, cultural wellness workshops, and much more. The brick-andmortar space will begin of fering services in the spring of 2023 and will serve as a new beacon of Black well ness in the Twin Cities com munity.

“Part of finding the so lution for me is centering Blackness, and being very intentional about what that looks like,” shared James.

For more info about Reviving Roots, visit revivingrootstherapywellness.com.

© 2022 Bremer Financial Corporation. All rights reserved. Bremer and Bremer Bank are

registered service marks of Bremer Financial Corporation.

At Bremer Bank, we know the true value of a banking relationship isn’t measured in dollars and cents. It’s measured in trust, earned by helping you anticipate, grow and thrive through changes. It’s not always possible to know what the future holds. But we’ll be ready to help you make the most of it. Because right now, relationships matter more than ever. Talk

a Bremer banker today.

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different perspective: yours.

We look at banking from a

Marlee James

Submitted photo

Lula Da Silva’s election is a victory for the world

By Derek Royden

On October 30, Brazilians voted in a presidential runoff election that was won by Luiz ‘Lula’ Ignacio Da Silva. It was a victory by the narrowest of margins, although in fair ness, the president elect’s op ponent had the clear support of the federal highway patrol, which reportedly set hundreds of roadblocks in areas of the country that had supported the former president in the first round of voting.

A side effect of this activ ity that the soon-to-be former president seemed gleeful about was the suffering being visited on what’s left of the country’s indigenous peoples, some of them uncontacted and living in isolation in their territories for centuries.

Justice requires reconciliation, not forgiveness

By Oscar Blayton

We need not forgive racial injustices in America’s past, and we must never forget them. But as a nation, we can reconcile.

It is undeniable that the flurry of recent activity to sup press this country’s knowledge of its shameful history is an attempt to make us all forget the injustices suffered by large segments of our society. It is also undeniable that forgetting those injustices invites their reoccurrence.

What is imagined to be at stake by those who struggle to bury truths and eviscerate facts is the disappearance of a way of life essential to their very existence. But this only gives testimony to the fact that their cherished way of life is predicated upon in justice.

The danger facing Ameri cans can be demonstrated by looking at South Africa. South Africa went through a truth and reconciliation process af ter that nation’s government was forced to end its practice of apartheid in 1994. It was an attempt to put to rest animos ity, resentment and fears after centuries of mistreatment suf fered by Africans and other people of color at the hands of White supremacists.

Many history books say that apartheid lasted in South Africa only from 1948 to 1994, but that does not tell the whole story. In 1948, the Na tional Party came to power in South Africa and codified the racial segregation in existence there for centuries. Taking a step back in time, history tells us that in 1913, the South Af rican government passed the Land Act soon after it became the Union of South Africa.

One of the provisions of the Land Act decreed that “na tives” were not allowed to buy land from Whites and vice versa. But more importantly, it was the legal vehicle by which Africans were dispossessed of their lands, much like the First Nations in America had their lands taken from them.

This injustice was not solely the doing of South Africans. The Union of South Africa, un der Great Britain, came into being when Britain passed the South Africa Act, granting the White minority dominion over Africans, South Asians, and other “Coloured” and mixedrace peoples.

turies of abuse and injustice fostered by White supremacy have not been healed by 30 years of struggle to set things right.

To begin, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Com mission was created only to investigate gross human rights violations, including abduc tions, killings and torture, that were perpetrated during the apartheid regime from 1960 to 1994. The period to be examined by the commission was so short that in 2024, as much time will have elapsed since the commission’s cre ation as the period to be ex amined itself.

It was an election with mas sive stakes, perhaps the most important of 2022 in any coun try, a vote that, in the best-case scenario, will impact not only Brazil but the whole world, es pecially in terms of the unfold ing climate emergency.

As Brazil controls the largest part of the Amazon region, the fate of the region is in its gov ernment’s hands. Under the farright reactionary Jair Bolsonaro, who has ruled Brazil since 2018, the meager protections in place to protect it were removed, leading to an orgy of both legal and illegal mining and logging and the subsequent encroach ment of large agribusiness inter ests that threaten to transform the region from a forest into a savannah.

When climate scientists talk about “tipping points” that could precipitate greater natural disasters in the short term and force average tem peratures higher over time, the loss of the Amazon is one of their chief concerns. Pre serving it becomes doubly im portant considering other tip ping points are already being reached in terms of glacier melt, the loss of the world’s coral reefs, and other major forests like those in the Congo Basin that are being ravaged out of the view of most media.

President-elect Da Silva, who will take office on January 1, 2023, will have his work cut out for him and will need global support to protect this natural treasure, with the World Wild

life Fund having just released a report on the dire situation the Amazon faces at the COP27 summit that just ended in Egypt.

As the report’s authors wrote: “The situation has be gun to show signs of nearing a point of no return: Seasons are changing, surface water is being lost, rivers are becom ing increasingly disconnected and polluted, and forests are under immense pressure from increasingly devastating waves of deforestation and fire.”

During an appearance at the same conference, Lula re minded the leaders of wealthy nations of a 2009 pledge to pro vide $100 billion a year to help poorer countries deal with the impacts of climate change that has not been followed through on, saying, “I don’t know how many representatives of rich countries are here; I want to say that my return here is also to collect on what was promised.”

We should start by ensur ing that the money is there to help Lula achieve his promise to Brazilians to end deforesta tion in his country and defend the Amazon. It is in the whole world’s interest to make sure he succeeds.

Derek Royden is a Canadian journalist.

At risk of being too tedious with a walk back in time, it needs to be pointed out that South Africa has suffered un der White supremacy since the Dutch arrived at the Cape in the 17th century.

The Dutch arrived at what became Cape Town, number ing only 90 souls, in 1652. By 1795, they had pushed the Africans off enough land to ac commodate 16,000 settlers.

In 2014, almost 400 years after Europeans arrived in South Africa, the United Nations Development Pro gramme (UNDP) published a report, “The Impacts of Social and Economic Inequality on Economic Development in South Africa.”

This dismal recounting of conditions in South Africa makes it clear that four cen

One may ask, “What is the importance of this story to us?” The answer is frightening. If we consider the painfully short period of time examined by South Africa’s Truth and Rec onciliation Commission and the stalled progress to create a better quality of life for those who suffered under apartheid and centuries of abuse, we must realize that forgiving ra cial injustice can lead to con tinued inequality.

The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation is that forgiveness requires nothing from the forgiven. They may not even have to realize that they are being for given. Reconciliation requires repentance from the offender, and the offender does not get to dictate the terms of recon ciliation.

In South Africa, because of the relative strengths of the offenders and the offended, the offenders were able to negotiate—or one might say, “dictate”—the terms of the reconciliation. This should not be allowed to happen in America.

As in South Africa, the United States has for centu ries maintained a social re gime that allowed atrocious acts of violence and inequal ity against people with little power to protect themselves. Murder, rape, theft of land, la bor and other resources was practiced in plain sight of the global community, with the perpetrators assured that no one would dare interfere to change the status quo.

By Ben Jealous

We need to pay attention to who sits on our courts

tices to make a supermajority.

As I write this, the final few races are being called in the midterm elections that were held weeks ago. It’s clear that the House will be closely di vided, with Republicans holding a very small majority. History shows that in midterm elections, the party that doesn’t hold the presidency typically gains a lot of seats in Congress—often times in a wipeout of the party in power. Republicans’ gains were comparatively tiny this year—but they probably should have been even tinier.

The reason is the far-right Supreme Court, and two rulings that hurt Black voters this cycle.

Two Deep South states, Ala bama and Louisiana, redrew congressional maps months before the midterms. Incred ibly, given the high proportion of Black voters in those states, the maps allowed for only one majority-Black congressional district in each state.

That is almost certainly a violation of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits states from packing minority voters into fewer districts in a way that reduces their power. And you don’t have to take my word for it; federal courts said the same thing and ordered both states to redraw their maps.

I know that the inner work ings of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, can seem really remote in our day-to-day lives. Most people don’t know any judges, and if they meet one in court it’s probably happening on a very unpleasant day.

In fact, my guess is that a lot of people would rather not think much about the courts at all. But we have to.

We need to pay attention to who sits on our courts and how they get there, because there is such an enormous impact on our lives whether we realize it or not. The Supreme Court’s impact on the House majority is just one example. Those actions by the Court will affect what business gets done in Congress and what laws get passed—or not passed—that impact how we live and what rights we have.

ed to confirm these judges and withholding support from those who haven’t.

The same goes for the presi dential election, which we will face again in less than two years. In 2016, Donald Trump ran on a platform to name far-right judg es to the Supreme Court who would ultimately overturn Roe v. Wade. That’s exactly what hap pened when he won, and now the Court is moving on to do other damage, too—like denying Black voters fair representation in Congress.

So what do we do? We get informed, we organize, and we vote in the next election—the same thing we do to confront so many issues this country faces.

Next election seems too far away? There is something you can do in the meantime. Call your senators and tell them to confirm the federal judicial nominees that are still waiting for a Senate vote between now and the end of the year.

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com

On Oct. 23, 1947, the NAACP sent to the United Nations a document entitled “An Appeal to the World.” This document asked the U.N. to redress human rights viola tions being committed in the United States against African Americans.

But state officials opposed to Black voting power fought back. And in both instances, the Supreme Court allowed them to go ahead with this year’s mid term elections with maps that just happened to preserve “safe” Republican seats.

Judges get their seats in dif ferent ways, especially at the state level. If you live in a place where state-level judges are elected, it’s critically important to get informed and vote in those judicial elections.

There are literally dozens of nominees picked by President Biden, including many people of color and nominees with strong civil rights backgrounds, just waiting for Senate action to take their seats on the courts. We can show we care by calling our senators and telling them to confirm these nominees now.

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com.

Many White Americans op posed the petition, including then-former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a mem ber of the board of directors of the NAACP and a member of the American delegation to the United Nations. The So viet Union, however, proposed that the NAACP’s charges be investigated.

It’s infuriating. And those are only two of the infuriat ing decisions that have come out of this Court since Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell succeeded in stacking it with enough ultraconservative jus

But on Dec. 4, 1947, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights rejected that proposal, and the United Nations took no action on the petition.

As we continue our struggle for justice, we must keep in mind

When it comes to federal judges, the Senate decides who will be confirmed. So every time you cast a vote for a senator, it should be for the candidate who will vote to confirm fair-minded judges with a commitment to civil rights.

The Biden administration has been doing a very good job nominating diverse, highly qualified judges who have this commitment. I believe in sup porting senators who have vot

that while we should not forgive and forget our shared history with those who have benefited from the many injustices we have suffered, we should be pre pared to seek to find a way to wards a true reconciliation.

Courts are going to keep showing us how much of an im pact they have on our lives. We need to exercise every option we have to impact who sits on them.

Ben Jealous serves as presi dent of People For the American Way and professor of the practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling au thor, his next book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” will be published by Harper Collins in January 2023.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps com bat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia. His earlier com mentaries may be found at oblayton1.medium.com.

Forgiveness requires nothing from the forgiven. Reconciliation requires repentance.

Courts are going to keep showing us how much of an impact they have on our lives.

“The Amazon situation has begun to show signs of nearing a point of no return.”

Obituary

Eric Jerome Maxfield

Eric Jerome Maxfield, age 62, from Woodbury, formerly Minneapolis, passed away on Nov. 14, 2022. He was survived by wife Kimberly James Max field, nine children, and four grandchildren.

Eric was a U.S. Army veteran em ployed by the U.S. Postal Service for over 20 years.

A funeral service will be held on Sat., Dec. 3, 2022, beginning at 11 am at the Arlington Lutheran Church, located at 1115 Greenbriar St., St. Paul, MN. The in terment will take place at 1 pm on Mon day, Dec. 5, 2022, at Ft. Snelling Nation al Cemetery.

“Keep the Vision Clear.”

A vision board can have a profound impact on your life. It can influence your personal life, business life, spiritual life and other areas. I want to share with you how to create an effec tive vision board.

Vision boards are often seen as an arts and crafts project involving glue sticks, scissors, magazine cut-outs, and printed pictures. But they can be so much more than this: They are a visual manifestation of the life you want to have. They display what you want out of your time on this earth and what your innermost desires are calling you to accomplish. There may be no other tool that can get you closer to fulfilling your idea of a perfect life than this tangible guide to the future.

With gratitude, Coach Ella,

“It wasn’t the popular thing to do; she did it any way,” noted the first-year Rutgers coach. “That’s the thing she taught me as a coach. We have to fight for what we need to be success ful in this business.

“It’s that part of Coach Stringer that I think is as amazing as her victories, her trips to the Final Four at three different schools. All of that stuff is awesome, it’s

great, but I think it’s just the leadership that she showed over decades that sticks with me. That’s the thing that makes me really proud to fol low in her footsteps, because I know the impact that she had on me personally.”

Eatman said, “These last seven years when I worked with her, she gave me an op portunity to help lead [the RU] program, and she put a lot of responsibilities on my head.”

The MSR plans to be at Stringer’s honoring event this weekend along with

to be like.”

many others who have known, loved and respected the heck out of the grand dame of women’s coaches. Stringer’s career and legacy will be recognized through out the day with pregame and halftime ceremonies.

“I’m just so fortunate to have been able to play un der her,” concluded Laney, a longtime W veteran, “and learn from her both on and off the court.”

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

“[Gray-Miller] always kept in contact and was very, very hon est” during the entire ordeal.

“That relationship has al ways been very, very special to me. So, I think my best move was to come here and be with somebody who I love, look up to, and one day, want

Badou

the trust and faith the Scots coaching staff have in him. “I think I’ve watched so much film with my coaching staff that I just wanted to [im prove],” he said after his career performance against the visit ing Augsburg. “If I try my best and focus, the rest will come.”

Minnesota HC Lindsay Whalen noted, “When [Cay ton] went into the transfer portal, she was somebody who we talked about right away.” It didn’t hurt that Gray-Miller was well aware of the guard’s play as well, she added. “We’re thrilled to have her on the team,” said Whalen.

Already in this young sea son, Cayton has started two

The son of a career diplo mat, Ba has traveled all over the world with his mother as a youngster. “I met a lot of people,” he recalled. “I just lis ten to everyone and just try to do my best.”

Ba eventually settled in the States and went to Wil liston Northampton (Mass.), a boarding school for grades 7-12. He played basketball, one of 35 sports that the

games, which surpassed her games-started total (one) during her time in Nebraska.

“She’s done a heck of a job getting on the court and get ting with her teammates. She provides veteran leadership,” said Whalen.

Added Gray-Miller, “She’s still the kid I first saw six years ago.” The coach has mad respect for Cayton, who has worked her way back af ter multiple knee injuries that

school offered.

At Macalester, Ba is study ing economics and political science. He admits he’s not entirely sure where that will lead him after graduation in a couple of years. “I just re ally want to travel, be able to keep seeing the world. I feel like I’m lucky to be here.”

“We are very, very lucky to have him here,” said Woldes lassie of Ba. “We’ve talked

forced her to miss the entire 2017-18 season, most of the 2018-19 season, and again all of the 2019-20 campaign.

“There is no telling what she could have become had she not suffered those inju ries,” noted Gray-Miller. “She has a chip on her shoulder, but not in a negative way— she has something to prove. She’s loyal. She’s tough. She gets excited over seeing her teammates get buckets.”

about how he needs to be a little more aggressive on both ends.” But the coach quickly added that the player’s steady improvement to date can’t be ignored.

“Last year at the start, he really didn’t play a whole lot, and then towards the end of the year he was playing dou ble digit minutes almost every game,” recalled Woldeslassie. “He is a tremendous defend

Off

degree

“I

er, shot blocker, a good re bounder that can eventually become a great rebounder. The next step for him—the offensive energy and the of fensive physicality and being confident.”

We too like watching Ba ex ert his presence on the court. As it is said, he only scratches the surface but is showing everyone that he can be one of the MI AC’s most dominant players not

only this season but throughout his career at Macalester.

“Since I’ve been here,” con cluded Ba, “I’ve had some bad days and good days. But every coach, the seniors, and some alumni have always been in my camp. I just keep working to try my hardest.”

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

the court, Cayton has taken care of business as a three-time scholar-athlete honor roll member at Ne braska, a first team 2022 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Schol ar, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and Academic All Big Ten (2022). She also has two degrees: a bachelor’s in legal studies from Cal (2020) and a master’s degree in ap plied science from Nebraska in 2022. She hopes the third

in higher education and administration she is working on at Minnesota will ultimately lead her to a ca reer as an administrator.

eventually want to be an attorney,” said Cayton. “I want to work in education, maybe a superintendent or director of some school system.”

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

Well-traveled diplomat’s son a rising MIAC star

By Charles Hallman Sports Columnist

adou Ba has played or ganized basketball for only a few years, but the Dakar, Senegal native has quietly and quickly made his mark in MIAC men’s basketball. Twice this season the 6-7 for ward from Macalester won the league’s men’s basketball defen sive player of the week honors, including the Nov. 21 weekly award for his career 13 re bounds-14 points performance, along with five blocks in a home win over Augsburg Nov. 19.

At that game, where the MSR was in attendance, Ba patrolled the paint like he owned it. If he didn’t block the opponent’s shot, he made them think twice and often in fluenced several misses.

Abe Woldeslassie told us af terwards. Ever since we saw him at a preseason practice a year ago, Woldeslassie has bragged on Ba, and the brag ging has not been in vain as the forward has shown steady improvement.

“It’s only his fourth year of playing basketball,” noted the coach. “You’re seeing the de velopment almost from week to week.”

his season C. Vivian Stringer will not be on the sidelines coaching af ter a half-century of excellence. Following a legendary career at Rutgers (1995-2022), she will be enshrined on the school’s basketball court Sunday, Dec. 4 with a dedication ceremony.

Stringer, a Hall of Famer (2001, Women’s Basketball; Naismith, 2009; New Jersey, 2020; and Rutgers, 2022) whose career began at an HBCU, was the second fulltime WBB head coach in Rutgers history, finishing her career as the school’s longesttenured women’s basketball coach. She won 535 games there and led 17 squads to the NCAAs, including 10 con secutively from 2003 to 2012.

Accolades attest to retiring Coach Stringer’s impact

noted Coquese Washington, who succeeded Stringer at RU this season.

Betnijah Laney, who played for Stringer (2011-15), a 2015 WNBA second-round pick re cently named the league’s Dawn Staley Community Award win ner, told me, “I was so fortunate to be able to play under her for four years. She was a great men tor for a lot of women.”

“You can never talk enough about C. Vivian Stringer,” said Tim Eatman, who was an assis tant for Stringer (Iowa, 199495; and three roles at Rutgers— assistant coach, associate head coach and acting head coach, 2015-22). “She’s a better per son than she is a basketball coach. What she’s done for not only women’s basketball, what she’s done for the overall land

coach to reach 1,000 career wins and the first Black coach to do so. She is ranked fifth

scape of college basketball just speaks volumes.”

HC

“We feel he’s the stron gest, most physical big in our league,”

“I think one thing that I al ways admired and respected about Coach Stringer was as much what she did off the court as she did on the court, how she cared for her players, how she challenged and nur tured and grew her players,”

Beginning at Cheyney State (1972-83), then Iowa (198395), then Rutgers, Stringer be came the fifth NCAA women’s

Fab Five pics feature Gophers

his week’s Fab Five pic tures feature players from the University of Minnesota men’s and wom en’s basketball teams as they contributed to victories over Central Michigan University (68-60) and Presbyterian Col lege (82-48) respectively.

Individually, the pictures fea ture a former Prior Lake High School star who, against Central Michigan, led the way with 17 points (Dawson Garcia); a former Park Center High School player and teammate who added 11 points (Braeden Carrington); a former Hopkins girls’ basketball standout who chipped in nine points (Amaya Battle); her team mate who led them with 16 points (Alanna ‘Rose’ Micheaux); and another who started at guard (Mi’Cole Cayton).

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

all-time in NCAA WBB history with 1,055 career victories. She also passed the late Pat Summitt to become the NCAA record holder with 37 seasons of 20 or more victories.

Continued Washington, “I’ve had the pleasure of know ing a ton of players that were coached by her and the things that they share about the im pact she had on them as young women. Especially for women of color like myself to look up and see this Black woman do ing it, being outspoken, speak ing up for underserved com munities and speaking up for Black women.

Third transfer brings seasoned hoopster to Gophers

innesota is the third and final col legiate stop for Mi’Cole (pronounced MYcoal) Cayton. Because of Covid, NCAA athletes, if they so chose, got an extra year of playing eligibility.

As a result, after two sea sons at Nebraska (2020-22) and three seasons at Cal (2016-19) before that, along with a couple of missed sea sons due to injuries, Cayton took advantage, took the ex tra year offered, and put her name in the transfer portal after last season.

More importantly, the 5-9 guard from Stockton, CA final ly gets to play for Minnesota

“I first saw Mi’Cole play in De cember of 2014,” the veteran coach told the MSR. “She was a junior at St. Mary’s (Stockton).

“I was there for [another] play er, Jess Shepard [now a member of the Minnesota Lynx]. Jess had already committed to us [GrayMiller then was an assistant coach at Nebraska]. But I couldn’t keep my eyes off Mi’Cole.”

From then on, Cayton was on her radar, recalled GrayMiller, who recruited her for the Huskers, and the California

intent and signed instead with Cal. Also, Gray-Miller left and took a position at Florida.

“I tried to get her to come to Florida with me,” she admitted, “but she opted to go to Cal and stay closer to home.”

Nonetheless, to paraphrase the classic closing line from Casablanca, a beautiful playercoach relationship started as Cayton and Gray-Miller kept in touch mainly through social media over the years. Now the two are together in Gopherland.

“It becomes all about relation ships and where you fit in best in personalities and different things like that,” explained Cay ton

All photos by Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald

Macalester

The soft-spoken Ba credits

■ See Badou on page 11

Badou Ba

Photo by Charles Hallman

“I just listen to everyone and just try to do my best.”

C. Vivian Stringer (l) and Coquese Washington Courtesy of Twitter

“She’s a better person than she is a basketball coach.”

University of Minnesota sopho more forward Dawson Garcia (Pri or Lake) against Central Michigan University, Thursday, November 17 at Williams Arena, Minneapolis.

University of Minnesota freshman guard Braeden Carrington (Park Cen ter) against Central Michigan Univer sity, Thursday, November 17 at Wil liams Arena, Minneapolis.

University of Minnesota freshman guard Amaya Battle (Hopkins) against Presbyterian College, Sunday, Novem ber 20 at Williams Arena, Minneapolis.

University of Minnesota sopho more forward Alanna “Rose” Micheaux against Presbyterian College, Sunday, November 20 at Williams Arena, Minneapolis.

University of Minnesota guard Mi’Cole Cayton against Presbyterian College Sunday, November 20 at Williams Arena, Minneapolis.

Associate Head Coach Shim my Gray-Miller, who first saw Cayton back in high school.

native did commit to Nebraska. However, after then-coach

“We’re thrilled to have her on the team.”

Mi’Cole Cayton

Photo by Charles

Hallman

Connie Yori got fired, Cayton was released from her letter of

on the recruiting process.

Shimmy Gray-Miller

Courtesy of Twitter