Vol. 90
Inside this Edition...
Read about festive shows to celebrate the season on page 10.
THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
December 7 -13, 2023
Phone: 612-827-4021
No. 19
Golden Valley’s mayor-elect Roslyn Harmon hopes to bridge the community divide By Cole Miska Contributing Writer n its 136 years, Golden Valley has never had a Black mayor— but that will change when Roslyn Harmon is sworn in next month. Harmon, a 47-year-old Black woman who runs the nonprofit Dispute Resolution Center, was the first person of color to run for mayor in Golden Valley, which is roughly 80 percent White. Harmon beat her opponent, Gillian Rosenquist, by 26 votes. Harmon says her priorities as mayor of Golden Valley will be affordable housing, public safety, community healing, and making sure citizens are heard. She plans to create town-forum meetings and other avenues where citizens who either do not have time or may be too intimidated to speak at a council meeting can voice their concerns. Harmon says she doesn’t
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(PEACE) commission. “It wasn’t until I really started doing a lot with the city of Golden Valley that I just saw concern,” she says. “Not only within the divide in city leadership but the divide in community, in city leadership as well as city staff. And for me in my day job—at the Dispute Resolution Center—that’s what I do. I work really closely on behalf of disputes and restorative work.” Harmon believes her work in conflict resolution will be useful in addressing issues that continue around Golden Valley’s police department. The city lost over 20 officers in the past two years after an investigation found Golden Valley police offiMayor-elect Roslyn Harmon Courtesy photo cers made racist remarks as well as other misconduct. Harmon like politics and did not con- as a member of Golden Val- says this has left a lot of discord sider herself a politician before ley’s Diversity, Equity, and In- between the police department running for mayor. She only clusion (DEI) Commission, and and city council, as well as withgot into politics within the past as vice chair of the city’s Police in the council itself. year, after seeing issues in the Employment, Accountability, Along with new police chief city while fulfilling her duties Community, and Engagement ■ See HARMON on page 8
www.spokesman-recorder.com
Minneapolis Public Schools District names new superintendent By MSR News Service he search for a new Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) superintendent is over as the school board announced on Friday that Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams, superintendent of Eastern Carver County Schools in Minnesota, has been chosen.
ensuring that schools are safe and supportive environments for all students and her belief that all students can learn at high levels. “This is a full-circle moment for me,” said Sayles-Adams. “I began my career in education working as a teacher in North Minneapolis, and that’s where I learned that strong schools
Olson Bridge mural brings the North Minneapolis community full circle By MSR News Service n a cold Saturday afternoon, a mural installation was unveiled on the Olson Memorial Bridge sound wall across I-94. It helps restore a bit of history that was lost more than 20 years ago. The ceremony on December 2, brought together Minneapolis artists and Northsiders to recreate a new version of acclaimed 20th-century African American artist John Biggers’ “Celebration of Life” mural that was torn down in 2001 to make way for the Heritage Park housing development in North Minneapolis. A collaboration between the artists collective the John Biggers Seed Project, the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, Minnesota Department of
Transportation, and Minneap- said Mica Lee Anders, one of olis Arts and Cultural Affairs, the artists whose work is feathe public artwork project tured in the mural. was 10 years in the making. “It was really important to Work on the installation be- use Adinkra symbols, which are West African symbols. gan in 2014. “There was a call put out for They’ve been incorporated artists, and we just applied for into a lot of African American it,” said Christopher E. Harri- art,” continued Lee Anders. son, one of the original artists “We tried to infuse the art with who contributed to the new the meaning of those symbols. “We wanted to tell a story mural. “So, it was really important to get the flavor of the so that when you follow the community to come through mural there is a story that’s being told. There’s water in the final project.” The mural, which is com- at the bottom of the mural, posed of more than 20 glass- which is very important here enamel panels, stretches across in Minneapolis. There’s the the chain link fence on either seed, and the bird, and the side of the I-94 bridge. “The growth,” added Anders. “The mural represents the goal was to study Biggers’ work, but really think about this com- cycle of Minneapolis. The munity. To think about Minne- growth. The destruction and apolis. To think about what it then the rebirth that is hapmeans to have a highway here,” pening in North Minneapolis.”
John Biggers Seed Project artists
Photo by MSR News
Newly named superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams Courtesy photo
Photo by H. Jiahong Pan The unveiling of the mural was followed by a program at the Capri Theater that detailed the history of the project, with reflections from Seed Project artists Ta-coumba T. Aiken and Bing Davis, as well as Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison, who is a member of the collective. A reception followed. “It’s a love letter to North Minneapolis,” said Harrison. “We speak to the generations that come before us and those who come after.” Contact the MSR News Service staff at msrnewsonline@ spokesman-recorder.com.
Twenty-five applicants from 16 states emerged in the nationwide MPS superintendent search. Last week, the search was narrowed to two candidates, Dr. SaylesAdams and Dr. Sonia Stewart, the current deputy superintendent of Hamilton County Public Schools in Tennessee. “We are thrilled Dr. SaylesAdams will lead Minneapolis Public Schools into the future and are excited about her deep educational experience, passion for lifting students up, and proven track record of improving student performance at public schools,” said Board Chair Sharon El-Amin. “She will provide both a vision and a strategy for continued growth for every student at MPS regardless of their background or zip code.” Dr. Sayles-Adams has 28 years of experience in education, including as a teacher and principal in Minneapolis, and an assistant superintendent in St. Paul, before moving to Eastern Carver County in 2020. She has been lauded for her firm commitment to
make a strong community. I am honored and thank the School Board for their vote of confidence in my commitment to serve as the next superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. “I look forward to partnering with teachers, students, staff, and the community to make sure every student gets the high-quality education they deserve.” “She will provide both a vision and a strategy for continued growth for every student at MPS regardless of their background or zip code.” Dr. Sayles-Adams’ starting date will be determined pending contract negotiations and approval. Rochelle Cox has served as the interim superintendent after Ed Graff, the previous MPS superintendent, ended his contract in 2022. Contact the MSR News Service staff at msrnewsonline@ spokesman-recorder.com.
Business startup event for Black and Brown entrepreneurs By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer s a Jane-of-all-trades, Charlotte Epée-WillSuN has channeled her passion for business into several endeavors. Over the past four years, she’s launched three businesses including Black Bumble Solutions, where she provides IT recruitment and business consultation, and GrooVVee, an entertainment platform centered around content from the African diaspora. Her latest venture, BIPOC Startup Week, aims to support Black BIPOC Startup Week founder Charlotte Epée-WillSuN and Brown business owners in Photo by Abdi Mohamed the Twin Cities who are looking to
navigate the complex world of tech entrepreneurship. Raised in Nigeria, Epée-WillSuN grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Her father launched his insurance business at 22 years of age and expanded it to four African countries. Though she pursued a career in accounting after graduating from Augsburg College, Epée-WillSuN was eager to carve out her own path in the tech world. In looking to network and develop her business in the technology sector, she attended various startup-focused events in the Twin Cities. For roughly three years, Epée-WillSuN attended conferences hoping to connect and find guidance on her journey as a tech entrepreneur but found herself on the outside of the predominately White industry. This led her to create an inclusive space for entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds. “One thing I always thought I was missing was that
the leadership was typically not BIPOC. There was usually no BIPOC leadership,” she said. Epée-WillSuN would only see roughly a dozen Black and Brown people in attendance in the span of a few days. Frustrated by the lack of representation, she pivoted to creating her own quarterly event that would address the needs of Black and Brown entrepreneurs and create a comfortable space for them to connect. BIPOC Startup Week kicks off Wednesday night on Dec. 6, at the W Hotel lobby and is followed by three days of programming at the Workbox co-working space in Foshay Tower and Finnovation Lab located in Finnegan’s Brew Co. December 7-9, participants will be able to hear from a range of experts including venture capitalists, bankers and artists. The event is free to the public and is scheduled to ■ See BIPOC on page 8