March 21, 2024 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

Rep. Ilhan Omar shares national and District agenda with the MSR

By Al Brown Assignment Editor

ep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), the trailblazing congresswoman representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, recently engaged in an exclusive one-on-one interview with the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) newspaper, a historic publication celebrating its countdown to its 90th year of amplifying the voices of marginalized communities of color.

As one of the first Muslim women to serve in the U.S. Congress, Omar has been a vocal advocate for progressive policies and social justice initiatives, prioritizing the needs of underrepresented populations. During her conversation with MSR, the congresswoman delved into a range of pressing issues, from racial equality and women’s reproductive rights to healthcare access and economic equity.

MSR: What’s happening in your district?

IO: A lot is going on in the 5th Congressional District. We just announced our Funding Friday Series. We were able to secure over $12 million and fund 15 projects; this brings our funding totals to over $54 million, funding 50 projects across the district. Like bringing a million dollars to Shiloh’s food shelf [and] to NEON, an amazing initiative where they are trying to create an amazing commercial kitchen for entrepreneurs, as well as getting resources for Sabathani as they are trying to renovate this beautiful legacy of a building.

“The citizens of this country seem to always get policy correct before members of Congress.”

As a prominent figure in American politics, her insights and perspectives on these crucial matters hold significant weight and relevance, particularly within the context of a challenging political climate marked by deep partisan divisions and ongoing struggles for equality and justice. Her candid engagement with the MSR offers our readers an opportunity to better understand her local, national, and global efforts and to learn what she is passionate about.

We’ve also funded affordable multifamily projects and got funding to help with the governor’s initiative to end homelessness for veterans. There is a beautiful project happening in Robbinsdale, with an old house that will be renovated.

MSR: What of business initiatives?

IO: There are a lot of small business initiatives that we are funding; the Incubator is one of those projects.

MSR: The Democrats seem to have a winning hand with their stance on Women’s Reproductive Rights, but not so much when it comes to the president’s handling of the issues in Gaza. What do you see as the next Congressional move on that issue?

IO: The citizens of this country seem to always get policy correct before members of Congress. We’ve seen a major rallying

■ See OMAR on page 5

By H. Jiahong Pan

Councilmember Emily Koski, who represents deep South Minneapolis,

-

-

Avenue, and west of 34th Avenue, flipped

the reintroduction of S.4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, aimed at safeguarding voting rights and fortifying the nation’s democratic foundations.

According to U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (DIL), the Senate Judiciary Committee also held a hearing on

March 12 to discuss the growing threats to voting rights and the need for federal voting safeguards. Leaders said as the nation reflects on the sacrifices of civil rights champions like the late Rep. John Lewis, the call resounds for every member of Congress to endorse pivotal democracy bills, including the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and the Native American Voting Rights Act.

Rep. Ilhan Omar stopped by the MSR office and spoke to Assignment Editor Al Brown.

Photo by Chris Juhn

Photo by Chris Juhn

Artika Tyner

Photo by Chris Juhn

Women’s History Month

Celebrate inspiring Black women

Beverly Propes has a legacy of connecting many to healthcare resources

By Vickie Evans-Nash Contributing Writer

In the 1990s, medical research linking disease with obesity and lack of exercise led to health initiatives directed at communities of color. Beverly Propes used her connection with churches, health providers, and insurers to begin her journey helping those in Minneapolis live longer, healthier lives.

Propes was born in St. Paul but grew up in Minneapolis, graduating from Minneapolis Central High School. She obtained her master’s in nursing at the University of Los Angeles.

When she returned to Minneapolis, she became part of a group led by Minnesota Health Commissioner Sister Mary Ashton focusing on heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Propes asked her pastor at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church if they could have a health ministry. He agreed. She began by taking the blood pressure of members and having conversations about medications, symptoms, and annual health exams. Many of the families she saw had a history of diabetes and cancer.

For many people in the community surrounding the church, getting medical attention meant a bus ride or a long walk to NorthPoint Health & Wellness, one of the few health providers in the community. When their new church was constructed at 3355 North 4th Street, a small clinic was included. It provided a scaled-down version of the services NorthPoint offered.

Various healthcare providers offered educational workshops, and besides the health checks, Propes gave CPR and AED training. She became a member of NorthPoint’s board as they began to look specifically at health disparities in North Minneapolis.

With a degree in public health, “I said cardiovascular disease is very much like the umbrella of some of the other conditions that are affecting our community.” Diabetes became the focal point because many families in the community had relatives who had “sugah.”

“A lot of time the ‘sugah’ wasn’t shared,” Propes said. “It was like, ‘I shouldn’t eat today,’ or ‘I don’t feel well.’ So, all the symptoms of the stages of diabetes were hidden.” This was an opportunity to educate people on avoiding refined sugar.

Propes taught families how the cardiovascular system is linked to every organ in the body.

“The heart is the main source,” she explains. “If there is something not working in the heart the way it’s supposed to, then the rest of the flow of the blood is reduced.”

This reduction can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Nutrition and water help the circulatory system to nour-

ish the organs. When blood flow is restricted, “The liver in and of itself is one of the main filters of our blood, and once it gets too much sugar…then your blood sugar goes up and the symptoms of diabetes are most apparent.”

For more than 25 years the American Heart Association and the American Association of Diabetes distributed pamphlets through United Way and other organizations explaining disease risk and prevention, but the information was not focused on the communities most affected. The information often didn’t make it to communities of color, leaving them uneducated on ways of controlling and preventing illness.

I keep telling people I’m retired, and that doesn’t work.

Knowing your glucose level, particularly for those 55 and over, is key, Propes teaches. Lab work that indicates prediabetes is an opportunity to make changes: reducing sugar intake, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, exercising, drinking more water, and reading labels for salt, sugar, and fat content. She joined efforts with other churches to sponsor health fairs. The largest was at Juneteenth where organizations had the opportunity to educate approximately 5,000 during its first-year celebration.

Community members were encouraged to develop a list of concerns for their annual visit. “In today’s medicine, if you don’t identify what your problem is, the doctor doesn’t have a lot of time to help you

Angela Davis inducted into Merrill College Hall of Fame

I’ve had a love affair with journalism since I was a child.

By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer

figure out what he needs to do or what medicines they need to give you to make you better.”

Yet disparities persist: “In our city, we are still trying to raise our level of understanding to reduce the health disparities in our children, in our aunts and uncles, in our grandparents.” Propes says.

“Because of those chronic conditions, they did not have the immunity when COVID hit.

And COVID is still here. It didn’t go anywhere.” Propes is proud that her church was the first to vaccinate its members.

A positive is the current push for being more health conscious. Just 20 years ago, events didn’t always offer bottles of water, now a staple.

For decades Blue Cross Blue Shield was almost a monopoly when it came to employersponsored health insurance.

The addition of Allina, United Health Care, UCare, and others created a system more responsive to health disparities by increasing education, hours of service, and locations of providers.

Currently, Propes meets with church members offer ing services, including refer rals to different clinics. “I keep telling people I’m retired, and that doesn’t work,” she says. She dedicates one day a week as a licensed school nurse at Best Academy, an Afrocentric school. She is also involved with Volunteers of America on a project relating to dementia, which is also linked to cardio vascular disease.

She advocates for annual exams and obtaining health in surance, which most everyone can participate in thanks to Obama, Propes says. She also wants people to realize that at any age they can make life style changes to increase their chances of staying healthy, “and live as long as my uncle [Richard Mann], who was 106.”

Vickie Evans-Nash welcomes reader responses to vnash@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) morning host Angela Davis is part of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism Hall of Fame class. The three Black women in the six-women class, which is the third class inducted into the Merrill College Hall of Fame, are: Davis (class of 1990), Michelle Singletary (class of 1984), and the late Dr. Lee Thornton, who died in 2013 and was the first Black woman to serve as Merrill dean. Davis, a veteran television and radio journalist, joined MPR in 2018 after over 25 years of reporting and anchoring in the Twin Cities and other U.S. cities. She is the only Black female voice heard daily on the public radio network, leading conversations about life in Minnesota and how the state is changing. She recently started the Power Pairs series that features prominent Minnesotans in close relationships such as married couples, siblings, or best friends.

“A journalist frequently referred to me and my husband [Duchesne Drew, American Public Media senior vice president and MPR president] as a power couple,” revealed Davis. “I’ve never felt comfortable with this… I knew lots of people who have had long-term relationships that have made them stronger and who are still very close.

“One of my managers sug

Power Pairs?” she recalled.

Davis said in a recent MSR phone interview she first learned about her upcoming honor shortly after returning home from a trip to Cuba shared with Singletary, a longtime friend and mentor, and others.

“I was at home and I got a phone call from the dean of the College of Journalism,” said Davis. “I thought he was going to tell me that students at the University of Maryland had just won an award for an investigative project that they have been working on.

“It means so much to me because it really feels like recognition of a lifetime…in the field that I think many people know is very challenging, demanding, competitive,” she pointed out. DavisHeadshot“It’s time consuming and sometimes emotionally draining, and I think it’s especially hard if you have high standards for yourself, and I know I do.

“I’ve had a love affair with journalism since I was a child,” she said. Growing up in southern Virginia, Davis said she got interested in news at an early age watching network television news with her mother.

“I was always writing, and I really wanted to see other places,” she added. But later as she studied journalism at Maryland, a professor intentionally or unintentionally advised her to go into another field, which initially shocked her, she recalled.

“‘You don’t have the look,’ said

asked him to review her broadcast resume tape instead told her to pursue a job outside of journalism or go to law school. Davis, however, refused to let that poor piece of advice deter her from now nearly 30 years as a broadcast journalist.

“I was a freshman at Maryland and one of my internships was for Ted Koppel,” she said proudly of the legendary television journalist. She later worked at CNN, and local stations in Washington D.C., Dallas and Lexington, Kentucky. Davis also anchored morning and evening newscasts at WCCO-TV and KSTP- TV and is a multiple award-winning anchor and reporter.

She believes her time working with Koppel very much shaped her successful journalism career. The internship “shaped my mindset of what journalism is,” she said. “That’s what I’ve always tried to model, the high quality work, and also consistency. When I grew up as a young aspiring journalist, I thought of Ted Koppel.

“I am 55 years old, but I often feel like I’m 25 years old. I have a lot of energy for what I’d like to try to accomplish as a journalist,” said Davis. “I still have a lot of tenacity.

“I’m very interested in producing documentaries… I’m really excited about what the future holds in my own career, and I believe the best is yet to come.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@

Angela Davis

Courtesy of MPR

Beverly Propes at a recent health awareness event at NorthPoint

Photo by Al Brown

By Tony Kiene Staff Writer

Windlan Hall II teaches boxing as a holistic force

“Honestly, I had no previous association with the sport of boxing, none whatsoever,” explains Windlan Hall II, the founder, owner, and head trainer of Win at Life Training, LLC.

The mission of Win at Life, in part, is to instill tools such as discipline, self-confidence, persistence, and self-control in its participants, while promoting their physical, mental and emotional health by teaching them “the skills of boxing.”

Football, basketball and track were the sports that Hall excelled in as he came of age in the Twin Cities. His father, Windlan Hall, spent eight years in the National Football League, including two with the Minnesota Vikings.

“One of dad’s claims to fame is that he was part of the last Super Bowl that the Vikings ever played in (Super Bowl XI in 1977),” notes the younger Hall, who like his father lived his football glory starring at cornerback.

After graduating from Burnsville High School, Hall matriculated to the University of St. Thomas, where he earned four varsity letters as a member of the Tommies’ football squad, which boasted a 27-9 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record during his career.

While at St. Thomas, he also

home a Master of Education in teaching and learning from St. Mary’s University. As an educator, Hall stayed connected to sports by serving as a high school football coach.

In the off-season, however, his days often ended around 2 p.m. “I didn’t have anything else to do,” he recalls. So, after a conversation with his brother, Hall decided to get involved with a local boxing gym to help keep him in shape if nothing else. But boxing proved to be so much more than that.

“I learned right away that I was pretty good at this. I loved

my physical limits,” says Hall, “but it also provided me with an outlet for my mental health. The gym was a place where I could relax and unwind. It helped to balance me out from my football days.”

Hall ultimately became a certified USA Boxing Coach and was asked to design classes for some other gyms and fitness centers, both here in the metro area and beyond. He also relied on his experience in education to help him better understand and support those he trained.

As he continued to influence more and more people,

on his own. So, in 2012, with eight clients in tow, he established his own LLC. “This has become something of a niche market,” Hall observes. “There are a lot of people looking to get into boxing.”

For the first few years, he continued to split his time between teaching high school math and training students at Win at Life. But in 2018, he transitioned fulltime to the gym.

ness can translate to success in the classroom as well as in life. There are plenty of women and girls who train at Win at Life too.

success looks like to him personally and to the business, Hall says, “It’s not monetary. It’s all about helping our clients, about what success looks like for them.”

When speaking of his inspiration, he refers to his mother, the late Brenda Hall, who among many other things was a celebrated historian and playwright.

“It’s not monetary. It’s all about helping our clients, about what success looks like for them.”

Win at Life is not a typical boxing gym, at least not in the traditional sense. Hall and his staff do not train individuals to become competitive boxers.

“We tell our students this [ring] is the only place you are allowed to use boxing. Win at Life is teaching them the ‘skills’ of boxing. But they’re not hitting their classmates inside of the ring. Rather, they’re punching a heavy bag, or they are punching the air. Not one another.”

The vision, as Hall details it, is to help his students— who range in age from six to 86—find success, achieve a personal goal, or reach a particular milestone. That might mean helping someone meet a weight loss target, improving their cardiovascular health, getting off alcohol or drugs, overcoming behavioral issues, or fostering a sense of purpose and self-worth.

“Whatever we do in life, we should try to win,” he maintains, “No one wants to lose. We want to help our students accomplish something, to help them win at life, whatever that might mean for them individually.”

For school-age students, Hall and his team focus a great deal on cognitive exercises coupled with physical training designed to illustrate how one’s overall health and well-

“One of my top students is a mother of two who wanted to learn this skill set,” reveals Hall, “A Miss America contestant came to me, asked me if I could train her. This type of training is a wonderful way to empower women and young girls. To build their confidence, increase their strength, and give them the ability to protect themselves and others. We’ve even taught women 60 years of age and older.”

“My mom was the most giving person you could ever meet,” reminisces Hall. “I am one of seven siblings, but we often had another child or two at the dinner table, kids from the neighborhood that needed

Hall also works closely with those struggling with Parkinson’s, developing his own philosophy and training manual to help those clients “knock out” the disease.

“We focus on the four B’s,” he says: “breathing, balance, the body and the brain,” adding that one of his students successfully climbed a mountain without falling or faltering a single time. “You taught me to take confident steps. And to be mindful of each step,” she relayed to Hall. “And that’s exactly what I did.”

When pressed as to what

help. Mom fed, clothed, and housed anyone who needed it. Our door was always open.”

“What I learned from my mom more than anything else,” extols Hall, “is that it costs you nothing to be nice. It costs you nothing to care. And it costs you nothing to love.”

For more information and available classes at Win at Life Training, LLC, visit https://winatlifetraining.com.

Tony Kiene welcomes reader responses to tkiene@spokesmanrecorder.com.

Windlan Hall II (second from right) with family Photos by Win at Life

Hall working out with son, Micah

By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer

Minnesota Timberwolves fans have until the end of March to take the Community Cultural Experience Tour and check out Northside Blackowned local businesses and organizations.

The tour, a partnership between the NBA franchise and U.S. Bank, was launched earlier this month to highlight local talent, businesses, and organizations and create more awareness and education on how these firms and groups are making a difference in the community.

Fans can download a Neighborhood Passport or pick one up at one of the tour stops. Those who visit all tour stops can submit their completed Passports by March 31 for a chance to win a game-day

suite at a Wolves game in April.

More importantly, Timberwolves and Lynx Chief Impact Officer Tru Pettigrew said the new program will help “correct the false narrative that people have about North Minneapolis that is rooted in the stereotype about [the area] and all of Minneapolis.”

The seven Northside businesses and organizations on the Community Cultural Experience Tour are: Cookie Cart, 1110 W. Broadway; Juxtaposition Arts, 1108 W. Broadway; Sammy’s Avenue Eatery, 1101 W. Broadway; The Capri Theatre, 2027 W. Broadway; The Get Down Coffee Co., 1500 N. 44th Avenue; Wilson’s Image, 2120 W. Broadway; and the Minnesota

munity Impact Director Sondra Ciesielski, Community Impact Senior Coordinator Nishia McRay, and Community Impact Senior Coordinator Bianca Dawkins—for birthing the tour idea.

Pettigrew said that plans are still being finalized for local youth to take the Community Cultural Experience Tour and talk with

employees on March 29.

“As people experience it themselves, they become advocates against that false narrative,” concluded Pettigrew on touring North Minneapolis Black-owned businesses.

Charles Hallman welcomes readers’ comments at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

OMAR

Continued from page 1

cry to end the onslaught that the people of Gaza are experiencing.

Over 30,000 people have been killed [and] dozens have died of starvation because aid is not getting in. Over 80 percent of infrastructure has been destroyed in Gaza, 1.5 million people are displaced in Rafah, and over 70 percent of those killed so far are women and children.

And so we want to see an end to this massacre and have called for a permanent ceasefire, but we know that has to be negotiated in good faith, so we are asking our administration to be a neutral party to

RIDESHARE

Continued from page 1

would help her better understand how she should vote.

“That report definitively showed that TNC drivers have been making subminimum wages,” said Koski. “The City has a minimum wage and labor standards—and we shouldn’t make exceptions to those basic worker rights and protections.”

After the vote, Uber and

VOTING

Continued from page 1

“This year’s presidential election will be the first since Republican-led state legislatures passed a wave of restrictive voting laws,” Durbin remarked. “As members of Congress, we have an obligation to defend our democracy against these attacks on our fundamental right to vote.”

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York emphasized what he called the vital role of a robust democratic foundation. “To make real progress on the issues we care about, the foundation of democracy must be strong,” Schumer stated. “The hard right is trying to cut those efforts off at the knees, making it harder for people to participate in democracy and be represented.”

Georgia Senator Rev. Rapha-

DR. TYNER

Continued from page 1

Dr. Tyner brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our publication.

Having founded the Center on Race, Leadership, and Social Justice at St. Thomas Law School and spent 17 years there, Dr. Tyner has dedi-

this so they can work to release the hostages, of which we know there is an infant and some Americans currently held. Again, we hope that members of Congress will lead with humanity. We witnessed majority leader Chuck Schumer make an incredible speech on the House floor talking about how Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is not a partner in creating peace, and he’s destroying the credibility of Israel, threatening the viability of its global partnerships.

Schumer seemed to allude that he may be willing to condition aid if Israel doesn’t change its course, which is a position that many of us have held for a while. So we are seeing some movement, but it’s just words for now. But we’d

Lyft both released statements saying they would leave Minneapolis on May 1, the day the ordinance goes into effect. Uber plans to leave the seven-county Twin Cities metro entirely. “We are disappointed the Council chose to ignore the data and kick Uber out of the Twin Cities, putting 10,000 people out of work and leaving many stranded,” said spokesperson Josh Gold, adding he believes the minimum wage for drivers should be 89 cents per mile and 49 cents per minute.

el Warnock underscored the legislation’s importance in preserving democracy. “Let’s protect the sacred right. We’ve got to get this done in the spirit and in the name of John Lewis and because our democracy itself is at stake,” Warnock demanded.

Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference, emphasized the nonpartisan nature of the cause. “This is not about partisanship; this is about people having power. That is why we need the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” Wiley said. Others from various civil rights organizations also

love to see some action.

MSR: Last year you took some heat for comments made about Israel, and you, your family, and staff faced serious threats; how common are these types of threats?

“We have been aggressive in suing states when they draw unconstitutional lines.”

IO: I happen to be one of the members of Congress with a high level of death threats, and for a long time I had the kind of detail that Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer and others who were in leadership naturally get because of

Uber and Lyft plan to work with state legislators to develop legislation that would “keep rideshare affordable.” Several legislators have introduced or plan to introduce legislation for fair compensation for rideshare drivers who also work for the companies.

Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, introduced legislation to mandate a minimum pay of $1.55 per mile and 54 cents per minute. Koski says she would support making amendments to the ordinance to fall in line with state law.

weighed in, with John C. Yang of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC urging Congress to support the change, and Damon Hewitt of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stressing the need for a democracy that works for everyone.

“To make real progress on the issues we care about, the foundation of democracy must be strong.”

“Voters are demanding better from their representatives, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act must be the response,” added Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer of ACLU.

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

their positions, and that is not afforded to the rest of Congress. But because of the special threats that I experienced and the number of people now incarcerated because they threatened my life and my family, this has become an alarming trend now being experienced by other members of Congress.

But I know that the Capitol Police Sergeant of Arms takes these threats seriously. I’m grateful to the FBI for constantly investigating and to the DOJ

Meanwhile, some drivers and council members continue to call what they consider Uber’s and Lyft’s bluff and are confident replacement services will be able to fill the need should Uber and Lyft leave. Councilmembers, including

for prosecuting said instances.

MSR: We have attacks on civil rights, voting rights, things like affirmative action reversals, the drawing of questionable district lines, and gerrymandering. What’s a Congressional action plan to help right these wrongs?

IO: Yes, as you are aware the Congressional Black Caucus has been leading the charge in defending and expanding voting rights. We have introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and we’re all co-sponsors and leads on what we call HR1, our Democracy Act.

We have been aggressive in suing states when they draw unconstitutional lines. We’ve been successful in Alabama in working toward an additional seat that could be won by a

Councilmember Jason Chavez, say several startup companies want to obtain licenses to operate in the cities.

One of them is the Driver

“Several startup companies want to obtain licenses to operate in the cities.”

Coop, a worker-owned coop that operates in New York. Taxis remain an option, but

Black member of our party. We’ve done the same thing in Louisiana where we got an extra seat.

There’s a lawsuit in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and other states that we think we can be successful, but also I think we are at a disadvantage because of the make-up of the Supreme Court. Republicans have been patiently working for 50 years to gut civil rights and women’s rights protections, and to dismantle the democracy that so many people have fought for us to have.

Read the entire Ilhan Omar MSR interview at www.spokesman-recorder.com.

Al Brown welcomes reader responses to abrown@spokesmanrecorder.com.

Axios Twin Cities reports Minneapolis has 39 drivers remaining, a far cry from the 1,200 taxis that roamed the streets of Minneapolis over a decade ago.

Meanwhile, Metro Transit’s Northside microtransit pilot, which functions like Uber and Lyft but charges a cheaper fare, will be made permanent this fall and expand to serve Roseville and Woodbury.

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader responses to hpan@ spokesman-recorder.com.

cated her career to advancing equality and creating positive change in her community. Her passion for education and youth empowerment led her to establish the Planting People Growing Justice Institute in 2014, with a focus on improving literacy rates among children of color through culturally relevant books. We are honored to have Dr. Tyner on board, and we

look forward to benefiting from her unwavering dedication to strengthening the minds of young Black children. Join us in welcoming Dr. Tyner to the MSR family as we continue to champion education and empowerment in our community.

Al Brown welcomes reader responses to abrown@spokesmanrecorder.com.

By Farah Habad Contributing Writer

As part of the longstanding exhibition on view at the Weisman Woodhouse Family Gallery, the University of Minnesota held a screening of “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket” with a discussion facilitated by Assistant Professor Dr. Megan Finch.

The exhibition, “More Various, More Beautiful, and More Terrible,” takes its root and its name from James Baldwin’s 1963 article “A Talk to Teachers” where he wrote, “American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.”

The gallery as a whole depicts works with histories as complex as our nation’s, with an expansive array of selections that captures various experiences as they were—like a snapshot in time.

“The Price of the Ticket” takes rare archival footage and weaves stories from some of those closest to Baldwin to craft a tale as captivating and important as the man himself. The documentary both opens and closes with Baldwin’s funeral, which creates an interesting narrative arc, as if the documentary is like a eulogy by director Karen Thorsen.

Whether it was meeting with labor workers in San

Francisco’s Black community or working alongside other civil rights icons during Mississippi’s “Freedom Summer,” Baldwin was able to write so vividly because of his grassroots involvement in many of the core movements that sought Black liberation. It is because of his direct experiences that Baldwin has remained a mainstay in much of the discourse involving contemporary Black writers. Dr. Finch noted, “Often the question of Baldwin’s significance to my own trajectory as a scholar comes up no matter what the context is, and I think that tells us something about

Baldwin’s significance.”

The documentary covers Baldwin’s exodus to France to seek conditions more favorable to his trajectory as a writer. In his late ‘20s to early ‘30s, Baldwin quickly gained a reputation for his keen understanding of humanity and the struggles that bind much of society together.

Though quickly embraced by the literary elite in France, the documentary shows how Baldwin could not ignore the abhorrent conditions Black folks were subject to in the United States. Thus in the early 1960s Baldwin finds himself back in New York in the crux

decouple his sexuality from his racial identity. He demanded to bring his whole self to the movement, rejecting the notion of piecemeal liberation that would require him to silence part of himself in order for other parts to be accepted.

of the Civil Rights Movement. Thorsen’s “The Price of the Ticket” also showcases the unique role Baldwin played in the Civil Rights Movement as an openly gay Black leader who, much to the criticism of his contemporaries, refused to

The film chronicles many of Baldwin’s striking rebukes of what he calls “benevolent racism” that often seeks to speak for marginalized folks rather than allowing folks the autonomy to advocate for themselves. Many of Baldwin’s later works chronicled in the film show his deep understanding of class, and how race and class are inextricably connected to one another. He notes that racial progression is not a profit-driven practice that seeks to recreate class divisions, rather progression comes with a deeper understanding of one another.

At the core of Baldwin’s writings, and many of the writings of Baldwin’s contemporaries, is an almost tangible sense of unvarnished truth—

Many of Baldwin’s later works chronicled in the film show his deep understanding of class, and how race and class are inextricably connected to one another.

raw and real. “The Price of the Ticket” shares many of these truths that bind us together, from Baldwin’s writings about the struggles of Algerians in France to the novelists who painted portraits of the horrors of everyday life many grew up with in the States. It’s that deep understanding of truth Baldwin and his contemporaries immediately recognized as necessary to document.

“There are people like Richard Wright’s ‘Native Son,’ or Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’ and ‘Beloved,’” Dr. Finch said. “I just remember thinking, ‘My god, how can someone do this with language?’”

As we approach what would be James Baldwin’s 100th birthday this August, “The Price of the Ticket” is a remarkable reflection point into the work of one of this country’s strongest bearers of witness.

“The Price of the Ticket” is available to stream now on PBS.

“More Various, More Beautiful, and More Terrible” is on view at the Weisman Art Gallery Woodhouse Family Gallery now through May 2026, Wednesday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and weekends 11a.m.-5 p.m. at 333 E River Rd. Minneapolis, MN 55455. Admission is free.

Farah Habad welcomes reader comments at fhabad@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Black leaders curiously fight to save menthol cigarettes

By Jerry Freeman

African American menthol cigarette smokers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that at least some of their leaders are vigorously defending their right to partake of their drug of choice.

Thanks at least in part to these leaders’ efforts, the threat of a federal ban on menthol cigarettes has been postponed indefinitely.

The proposed ban originated in a 2022 proposal by the Food and Drug Administration.

It has since been attacked with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of radio ads paid for by Reynolds American, whose popular Newports make up about half its sales ($8 billion in 2022 profits).

Ads by the Alliance for Fair and Equitable Policy, a group heavily funded by Reynolds American (Big Tobacco notorious for working through such front organizations to achieve their policy objectives), claim that a menthol ban “could have unintended consequences for African Americans by increasingly threatening police presence in Black communities,” presumably while searching for contraband menthol cigarettes.

The Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network has benefited from decades of Reynolds money as he’s promoted the idea that a menthol ban would lead to overpolicing in Black communities and more Black deaths at the hands of law enforcement.

We are warned that once this ban goes into effect, Black American smokers deprived of their mentholated tobacco will resort to a menthol cigarette black market, thus exposing themselves to greater police harassment in crackdowns on illicit menthol tobacco products.

This new American menthol black market will, it’s claimed, strengthen Mexican drug cartels and only worsen the current nightmare of U.S. border defense. What’s more, some of the immense profits from this illicit menthol market will be funneled to terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, who are killing our soldiers in the Middle East.

Those who find this narrative compelling might also be interested in what QAnon has to offer.

If they’ve convinced the Biden administration the ban might threaten his re-election hopes, the proposal should not raise its ugly head again until 2025.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis—described in his bio as an entrepreneur, global business leader, educator, civil rights leader, NAACP Life Member, syndicated columnist, and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association for the Black press—just last August, moderated a Black and brown law enforcement panel at the National Press Club inquiring into how the FDA could dare propose a regulation “that will have a disparaging and disproportionate impact on our communities.”

Reynolds American has given Chavis’ NNPA at least half a million dollars to date and sponsored the trade group’s 2022 and 2023 conferences.

Dr. Chavis, like Rev. Sharpton, denies that these substantial cash donations influence in any way his position on the

Federal Reserve’s Reg II will

hurt minority communities

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.

I am pleased to congratulate Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) who led a coalition of lawmakers who wrote to the Federal Reserve urging the central bank to withdraw Regulation II — its new proposal to reduce the cap on the debit card swipe fees merchants must pay to debit card processors — out of concern that it will hurt minority communities’ credit access.

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com

menthol issue.

White House records show that last November 20, Dr. Chavis partnered with one of Rev. Sharpton’s deputies and top tobacco lobbyists to press their case of “disparaging and disproportionate impact” with top government regulatory officials. Two weeks later, the Biden administration announced it would delay the ban until at least March, with further delays likely during this election year.

It appears that SharptonChavis advocacy on behalf of Black Americans’ menthol preferences has, at least for now, beaten back the threat of a menthol ban. If they’ve convinced the Biden administration the ban might threaten his re-election hopes, the proposal should not raise its ugly head again until 2025. By then Reynolds American (now British-owned) can devise and finance a new campaign to keep this “disparaging and disproportionate impact” from ever becoming law.

Another proposed FDA ban with a “disparaging and disproportionate impact” on the African American community concerns hair straightening products containing formaldehyde that have been heavily marketed to Black women and are linked to breast and uterine cancer. This ban would also have a “disparaging and disproportionate impact” on African American communities, so we might expect Rev. Sharpton and Dr. Chavis to lead the opposition to it, especially when armed with financial support from L’Oreal and other manufacturers of formaldehyde hair straightening products.

That the intent of both FDA proposals is to save lives is no justification for their “disparaging and disproportionate impact” on African American communities. Sharpton and Chavis consider this a more compelling concern than the fact that smoking-related illnesses are the number-one killers of African Americans, causing around 45,000 deaths per year.

Although they tend to smoke less than whites, Blacks are more likely to die from smoking—perhaps in part because of a preference for menthol-flavored tobacco? The FDA has estimated that banning menthol cigarettes could prevent up to 238,000 Black deaths over the next 40 years. Thanks to those protecting us from cop raids on black-market smokers, Mexican cartels, and Middle East terrorists, we can expect these deaths to continue unabated.

Reporting from Mother Jones and The Center for Investigative Reporting were used for this commentary.

I sympathize with the feelings of these congressional members. Having dedicated my life to advancing civil rights and promoting economic advancement for African Americans, I fear that this proposal, while well-intentioned, will create regressive outcomes that will ultimately hurt the very people it is intended to help.

While lowering the current cap on debit card swipe fees may appear like a reasonable measure to take in what has proven to be a lackluster economy for many merchants, my experiences— from coordinating youth activities with Rev. Martin Luther King to serving on the national board of directors for the NAACP— have underscored the importance of scrutinizing policies for their broader implications.

When doing so with Regulation II, I—like the congressional coalition—concluded that lowering the swipe fees would hurt the same small financial institutions that minority communities depend on for credit access, which would thus widen the nationwide racial wealth gap and banking disparities.

Economic history tells this story well.

While reluctant to do so at the time, the Federal Reserve first limited swipe fees on debit card transactions on 2011. Studies, including one from the Richmond Federal Reserve, indicate that most retailers did not pass their savings onto consumers—a significant portion even raised prices. Meanwhile, as Main Street continues to struggle with the policy, Federal Reserve studies have found that large corporations have reaped nearly $8 billion annually since this rule was enacted.

The Federal Reserve now estimates that six million Americans are “unbanked,” and many more are “underbanked.”

Although large corporations benefited from not having to pay as much in swipe fees, this price control hit the small financial institutions that had to subsidize this giveaway for them hard. It gave many of them no choice but to reduce fee-free checking from 75 percent to 40 percent.

The Federal Reserve now estimates that six million Americans are “unbanked,” and many more are “underbanked”—meaning they must use alternative financial products like check cashing services instead of traditional checking and savings accounts to make ends meet. The debit card cap has contributed significantly to this crisis.

Many financial institutions have also raised customer fees in response to interchange fee caps, with Rule II poised to inten-

sify these challenges. Regulation II will increase them even further. According to Nick Bourke, former director of consumer finance at The Pew Charitable Trusts, it may bring up to $2 billion in additional consumer costs. This escalation of fees threatens to sideline even more minority communities from the banking system, impeding their access to essential credit services required for entrepreneurship and homeownership.

The Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve are committed to advancing racial equity. By proposing Regulation II they are not intentionally doing the bidding of large corporations; however, they may be being misled by these companies’ advocacy efforts.

The Fed is taking every effort to promote income equality and workplace diversity and inclusion, but Regulation II would undercut its great work in this respect and cause potential harm to millions of minority families. Now that a congressional coalition has drawn the Fed’s attention to this concern, the central bank should respond by taking a closer, harder look at its Regulation II proposal. It is the only right and just thing to do.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., an African American civil rights leader, is the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). He is a former executive director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a former NC statewide youth assistant to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Racism across the world: tribalism in Africa

By Daniel Abusuampeh

As the world grapples with the pervasive plague of systemic racism, its shadow often falls across continents in various forms. In Africa, the counterpart of racial discrimination manifests as tribalism, a complex web of prejudices and biases woven into the fabric of numerous societies. This tribalism is not just an echo of traditional inter-ethnic rivalries but a modern reflection of how systemic discrimination can adapt and thrive, even within racially homogenous societies.

It is important to highlight the difference between ethnicity, tribe, and tribalism. Ethnicity refers to a group of people bonded by common cultural, ancestral, or linguistic traits, like the Akan groups in Ghana and the Yoruba in Nigeria. Tribe is a word deliberately coined to refer to Africans as a group of people who share a common language and are uncivilized. Out of the coined word tribe came tribalism, which implies a stronger allegiance to one’s own tribe, often prioritizing its interests above those of others, which can lead to favoritism and potential conflict. In brief, ethnicity is about shared cultural traits, while tribalism highlights a prioritization and sometimes favoritism towards one’s own ethnic group, often in social and political contexts.

The issue of tribalism in Africa is not a monolithic problem; it varies in intensity and manifestation across the continent. From the ethnic tensions that have occasionally flared into violence in Nigeria to the more subtle but equally corrosive tribal biases in Ghana shaping the political and social outcomes, the consequences are profound and pervasive. These tribal divisions undercut the efforts toward unity and development that have been the rallying cry of many African states since independence.

But why should the world pay attention to Africa’s tribalism?

For one, it provides a broader lens through which to understand racism. It shows us that the problem of “othering” is not specific to any race, culture, or region. Tribalism, like racism, is born out of a constructed hierarchy of human values. It is a stark reminder that the fight against systemic discrimination is a global struggle, one that requires a deep understanding of local contexts and global solidarity.

ioral Training (SCBT) framework, used at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work for racial equity consciousness development, offers a model for combating tribalism. SCBT, drawing from cognitive behavioral therapy, addresses unconscious biases and behaviors that perpetuate discrimination, promoting visions and commitments to equity. This framework involves addressing systemic factors contributing to racial disparities, like institutional policies, and developing systemic interventions for equity. It requires a ‘systems thinking’ approach, considering relationships among various societal elements.

Such efforts are vital in empowering individuals to challenge the status quo, recognize shared humanity beyond tribal affiliations, and build societies valuing diversity as a collective strength, not just a token of tolerance.

As we confront racism and tribalism, we must remember that these are not just issues for those who suffer their immediate effects. They are a clarion call to all who believe in a just world. A world where diversity is not merely accepted but celebrated, where our common humanity provides the fertile ground for our varied cultures to flourish together.

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com.

Jerry Freeman welcomes reader responses to jfreeman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Tribalism, in essence, shares the same DNA with racism: both are ideologies that use perceived differences to justify unequal treatment and to maintain power structures. While racism often divides along skin color, tribalism segregates along ethnic lines, dialects, or clan affiliations. It can influence who gets a job, who receives government services, and who holds power - weirdly mirroring the racial divides seen elsewhere.

Furthermore, tribalism impedes the global community’s collective efforts to tackle universal challenges. From climate change to pandemics, the need for cohesive action has never been more pressing. However, when a society is fragmented along tribal lines, mobilizing collective action becomes an uphill battle.

Addressing tribalism in Africa requires a comprehensive approach, with education being crucial. It can uncover the historical roots of tribal conflicts and foster narratives of unity. For example, the Structured Cognitive Behav-

The fight against tribalism in Africa is a chapter in the larger narrative of humanity’s quest for equity and justice. It reminds us that our work is not done until the arbitrary lines of division, whether drawn by race or tribe, are erased and replaced with the unshakeable bonds of our shared human experience.

Daniel Abusuampeh, MSW, MPA is a School of Social Work

Doctoral student and CRSP’s Research and Development Assistant. Courtesy of University of Pittsburgh, Center on Race and Social Problems.

Former Justice Alan Page speaks at St. Thomas

By Abdi Mohamed Associate Editor

In the latest edition of their Finding Forward series, University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer sat down with Justice Alan Page for a fireside chat covering political polarity, the state of the courts, and Page’s own upbringing.

The series is hosted by the university in partnership with the Star Tribune. The current series is an iteration of the long-standing First Friday speaker series, which began over 30 years ago and aims to reach a wider audience.

President Vischer began the talk with a brief introduction of the topics he and Justice Page were set to discuss.

He shared that the conversation would surround leadership and collaboration in an age of polarization. In his introduction, Vischer referred to Ezra Klein’s book “Why We’re Polarized,” which found that disagreements over issues just express a deeper sorting of

fundamental identities.

Vischer went on to say, “Our polarization is fundamentally about social identity, not simply disagreement about particular political issues.” After framing the conversation for the audience, Vischer introduced Justice Page to the audience at the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center (OEC) Auditorium.

“You

He shared the justice’s accolades as a 15-year NFL veteran when he played for the Vikings and the Bears, becoming the first defensive player to win MVP. Page also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 to 2015. He credited his accomplishments to his upbringing in Canton, Ohio in a world he

described as being “quite different from today.” Page spoke about the lessons his parents imparted to him at an early age that stuck with him well into his professional life. He stated that they made sure he understood that life did not owe him anything. They also instilled in him the value of education.

At a young age, Page had also learned the importance of a court’s decisions. He learned the power that the Supreme Court wielded through its decision on Brown v. Board of Education.

Vischer then pivoted the conversation to the current judicial landscape, one he described as a microcosm of the culture war. He asked Page what it was about the Minnesota Supreme Court that fostered a sense of camaraderie, resulting in an oasis of collaborative thinking compared to other state courts. “I think in some measure it comes from history and our tradition, and staying grounded in that history and tradition,” Page replied. “It’s grounded in

having avoided the influx of money and influence. Some of those states you mentioned view the judges there as politicians in black robes.”

Page said his fellow Minnesota Supreme Court justices knew that the cases in front of them were not about their egos. They had a vested interest in seeking to understand the letter of the law as it was written and not what they wanted out of a given case. “Once you have an interest in the outcome, you’ve got a problem,” he said.

Page’s passion for education was on full display during the fireside chat. He stated that education was a useful tool in the goal of overcoming poverty and could help minimize the effects of discrimination.

Asked why he was so passionate to give back in the educational arena, Page stated that he and his wife Diane might have some self interest motivating them. He pointed to their grandkids as a main driver behind his interest in bringing about a better world for the next generation to live in, quoting the late Paul Wellstone: “When we all do better, we all do better.”

In regards to finding a solution to the nation’s increasing

responded with some words of advice. “You want hope?

Spend some time in a thirdgrade classroom,” he said.

“Feel that energy, that curiosity, that openness, and the lack of animosity. Spend some time there. That’s where I get my hope from.”

Abdi Mohamed welcomes reader comments at amohamed@ spokesman-recorder.com.

By Abdi Mohamed Associate Editor

Hundreds of educators and parents descended upon the Minneapolis School District headquarters Tuesday, March 12, to continue their pushback against proposed budget cuts.

The rally took place a week after MPS shared its proposed budget cuts after revealing a $110 million deficit for the Fiscal Year 2025. In order to adjust, the district proposed reallocating resources and making cuts that would affect fifth grade music, classroom sizes, assistant principal positions, and more.

MPS leaders cite the end of federal COVID-19 dollars, declining enrollment, and increased costs as the reasons behind the deficit.

Representatives from the teacher’s union have met with the district over a dozen times to secure increased pay to meet the demands in their classroom.

Their opening offer to the district was an 8.5 percent salary increase for the first year of their next contract followed by a 7.5 percent increase.

Kim Ambers attended the

rally donning a blue MFT59 shirt representing the local union for teachers and educators. Ambers has worked as an education support professional for over 30 years in the district, first at North Star Elementary School before transferring to her current position at Lucy Laney Elementary. She shared her perspective on the changes in the district.

who are working in the school specifically, but yet at the end of the year they always have a surplus,” she said. Ambers stated that the current moment was crucial for the sustainability of the district and the success of educators. “I think right now, this is make it or break it,” she said. “Minneapolis is going to have to step up to the plate, pay their em-

the rally holding up a sign in support of mental health resources in school. She underlined the importance of having resources to support students from marginalized communities who have shown signs of mental distress. “I’m here today because 47 percent of students in Minnesota have had an adverse child experience,” she stated. “The reality of my position is that I have done suicide risk monitoring for students in first and second grade this year. We have families who are homeless. We have families who do not have water at home.”

She noted how stress is known to impact learning and that several students she works with have challenging home lives. They need the resources in school to provide the support they require to be successful in school.

The rally then moved inside the district headquarters as school board members began their meeting. Superintendent

tor positions that support the Somali and Hmong language pathways or the biliteracy seals programs will be included in our proposed budget,” she said. “This specific item should not have been an option, given the history, the nature of the program, and the already limited funding it has.” The superintendent apologized for the confusion and distress caused by the proposed cuts and offered to repair the harm caused by the mistake.

the same as racial equity,” she said. “So cutting APs, cutting mental health, all of that from the North Side when we have been so pummeled by COVID is absolutely disastrous.”

Titilayo Bediako, executive director of We Win Institute, also took to the podium to address MPS leadership about the proposed budget cuts, but she pushed back against the increased wages for educators. She suggested that there should be results in student performances that could support the cause for increased pay.

“Everything has gotten worse, including the fact that the district every year says that they don’t have money to pay their workers, the ones

ployees, the people who do the work in the school buildings.”

Anna Miller, a school counselor at Jenny Lind Elementary School, was also in attendance at

Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams began the public meeting with an apology and clarification relating to the proposed cuts to the district’s heritage language programs.

“No reductions to the central office district program facilita-

Sondra Samuels, president and CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone, addressed the district leaders during the public comment section of the meeting. She requested that any further cuts or decisions not be made without consideration of the Northside community, particularly Black families in the district.

“I want to also ask you to really consider that equality is not

“I was a teacher. I’m not opposed to teachers getting raises,” she said. “We went through this two years ago. I want teachers to show me what they did in those two years. How come we’re still talking about 17 percent failure in relationship to our children? Let’s not talk about raises and talk about 17 percent reading rates at the same time.”

The district plans to spend its March 26. meeting discussing the budget further.

Abdi Mohamed welcomes reader comments at amohamed@ spokesman-recorder.com.

Photo by Chris Juhn

Photo by Chris Juhn

Employment & Legals

From Ads

March 21, 2024

Sr. Statistical Programmer Analyst, Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, MN

Req. Masters’ deg or foreign eq. in Comp Sci, Compr Eng, Info Tech Mgmt, Biostatistics, Statistics or rel health/eng field & 2 yrs of exp as a statistical programmer, biostatistician, or rel occup. in SAS® programming; or Bachelors’ deg or foreign eq & 5 yrs of exp. Must possess at min. 2 yrs exp w/ each of the following:

Base SAS®, SAS/STAT, SAS Macro language, SAS/SQL, and SAS/GRAPH; working w/ clinical data and integrating data from multiple sources; working w/ statisticians and biostatisticians on clinical analysis; preparing data for regulatory submission in accordance to clinical data standards including CDISC; clinical database analysis programming utilizing SAS; programming, testing, documenting, and validating statistical programs and tools per FDA & PMDA requirements. Position is open to telecommuting from anywhere in the U.S. Apply at https://jobs.medtronic.com/, Req. #24000360. No agencies or phone calls. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply.

QA AUTOMATION TESTER:

IT Company (Plymouth, MN) seeks QA Automation Tester to develop BDD scripts with Cucumber, implement automation frameworks and execute automation scripts on different browsers, modify automated test scripts, generate reports with screenshots by using CIF, API, JIRA, UAT, SIT for functional testing, review test results, issues and defects. Create and assist in performing various types of tests. Perform troubleshooting. Generate customized reports. Send resumes to: HRD, VITS Consulting Corp., 14264 23rd Ave N, Plymouth, MN 55447

VIEW

Continued from page 10

From Ads

Engineering Manager, Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, MN

Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

Req. Master’s in Mechanical, Industrial, or Biomedical Engr. or related engr. field & 2 yrs exp. as quality engineer or related occupation for medical devices; or Bachelors’ & 5 yrs exp. Req.

PHONE: 612-827-4021

FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS

min. 2 yrs exp. w/ each: ISO 13485, 21CFR Part 820, Part 11, Part 210/211, & GMP; FMEA & Risk Reports that complies w/ ISO 14971 & IEC 62366; TMV, Design V&V, Process Validation, & Design reliability; IQ/OQ/PQ; Non-conformance Material

PLEASE CONTACT

ACCOUNTING DEPT

Process & CAPA; Statistical methodologies; & Root Cause Analysis incl. Fault tree analysis, Ishikawa diagrams, Cause mapping or 5-why methodology. Position open to telecommuting from anywhere in the U.S. Apply at https://jobs.medtronic.com/, Req. #2400032M. No agencies or phone calls. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply.

BILLING@SPOKESMAN-RECORDER.COM

LEGAL NOTICES

SIZE: 2 COL X 4.5”

RATE $18.10 PCI (1ST RUN)

SUBTOTAL: $162.90

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to ads@spokesman-recorder.com

Product Engineer, Medtronic, Inc., Fridley, MN. Req. Master’s deg in Mechanical, Industrial or Biomedical engr. or rel. engr. field & 6 mo. exp as a product or quality eng. in medical device industry; Or Bachelor’s deg & 2 yrs exp. Must possess at least 6 mo. Exp. w/ each of the following: Medical device Complaint Handling, Service Monitoring, and Audit; Test Method, Equipment and Tooling Validation; DMAIC, Root Cause Analysis, CAPA and PFMEA; IQ/OQ/ PQ and process changes; GD&T, Gage R&R, MSA, statistical analysis, and Minitab; MES, Enovia, Trackwise, and Agile QMS; cGMPs, cGDPs, and FDA QSR; FDA 21 CFR Parts 11, 210, 820, & ISO 9001, ISO 13485 & ISO 14971. Relocation assistance not available for this position. Apply at https:// jobs.medtronic.com/, Req. #24000361. No agencies or phone calls. Medtronic is an equal opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workplace. All individuals are encouraged to apply.

Please Note: New email address for all future ads is ads@spokesman-recorder.com

From Ads Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

PHONE: 612-827-4021

FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS

PLEASE CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT BILLING@SPOKESMAN-RECORDER.COM

Lead Data Engineer: Land O’Lakes, Arden Hills, MN.

EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY

SIZE: 2 COL X 4 INCH

RATE $44.60 PER COL. INCH

TOTAL: $356.80

Req. Bach. Deg. in Comp. Info. Sys., Comp. Sci, Mgmt. Info. Sys, or rel. field & 7 yrs. of post-bachelor’s exp. as a Data Engr., Data Analyst, Data Warehousing Consultant, or rel. occupation in data eng’g. Req. 7 yrs. exp. with each of the following: Advanced SQL, data eng’g & data modeling techniques; Designing & building data-driven solutions; & Using & manipulating ETL tools (such as Informatica) for data reporting. Req. 3 yrs. exp. with each of the following: Managing dev’t & eng’g resources; Leading a team through full lifecycle, large, complex reporting or data eng’g efforts; & Working & communicating with stakeholders to ensure data eng’g solutions meet business outcomes. Req. 1 yr. exp. working on cloud-native data solutions on Microsoft Azure or AWS. Position allows for telecommuting from anywhere in the US. For confidential consideration, please submit résumé to https://careers.landolakesinc.com using requisition #R-30681. No agencies or phone calls please.

From Display Ad Department/MN

Spokesman-Recorder

Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

PHONE: 612-827-4021

FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS

PLEASE CONTACT

ACCOUNTING DEPT

BILLING@SPOKESMAN-RECORDER.COM

EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY

SIZE: 2 COL X 3 INCH

RATE $44.60 PER COL. INCH

TOTAL: $267.60

From Ads Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

PHONE: 612-827-4021

The MSR handles billing digitally. This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a hard copy. that folk was awoken about in 2020. Some of us have been living it our entire lives, and for generations.”

“Diversity is very important in the workplace and sports, but nothing we’ve done seems to be getting us over the hump,” Tittle said. “The world is not just about White men.”

Added Dr. Burrage, “We are all doing this work dif-

SOE

Diminishing diversity

ferently. There is more than race-based equity to look at.” The panelists elaborated on their views to the MSR after the one-hour session. “It’s a shame that over 70 percent of our employees or our athletes are Black or people of color,” added Tittle, “and the leaders don’t reflect this. We got to do better, and it’s a responsibility that we all have.” Fisher said that if corporate America and other industries want a diversity model to emulate, ESPN might be an ideal example. “ESPN

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to ad@ spokesman-recorder.com. For more exposure: We are also inviting our clients to advertise on our web site for 2 weeks for a flat fee of $150 per position with purchase of print ad.

PHONE: 612-827-4021

FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS

The MSR handles billing digitally. This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a hard copy.

PLEASE CONTACT

ACCOUNTING DEPT

@ billing@spokesman-recorder.com

years ago took the approach of diversifying who their analysts were, who their employees were,” he noted. “One can make an argument for the fact that they are probably one of the most relevant and successful global franchises in the country, and in the world I should say.

EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY

SIZE: 2 COL X 2”

RATE $44.60 PCI

TOTAL: $178.40

RUNNING ON MARCH 21, 2024

importance of DEI to young people. “It helps them build good skills, and it helps them grow into young men and women, and it helps them in life and they learn a lot of good skills,” she said.

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to ads@spokesman-recorder.com.

“If we can look to examples like that for success,” he pointed out. “They’ve created the blueprint.”

“It was nice to have a conversation and to know that individuals, particularly in Minnesota, are still committed to this work,” noted Eiland-Madison.”

FOR

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to ad@ spokesman-recorder.com. For more exposure: We are also inviting our clients to advertise on our web site weeks for a flat fee of $150 per position with purchase print ad.

BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS

PLEASE CONTACT

The MSR handles billing digitally. This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a hard copy.

ACCOUNTING DEPT BILLING@SPOKESMAN-RECORDER.COM

EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY

SIZE: 2 COL X 3.5 INCH

RATE $44.60 PER COL. INCH

TOTAL: $312.20

From Display Ad Department/MN Spokesman-Recorder

Integrated Producer: Colle McVoy (Colle & McVoy, LLC) a full-service creative agency in Minneapolis, MN.

PHONE: 612-827-4021

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to ad@ spokesman-recorder.com. For more exposure: We are also inviting our clients to advertise on our web site weeks for a flat fee of $150 per position with purchase print ad.

FOR BILLING INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS

The MSR handles billing digitally.

Eligible candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in advertising, communications, marketing or related; three years of experience as an associate integrated producer, integrated producer, or related project management experience in a creative agency environment. Eligible candidates must also have at least one-year experience in writing scope of work; building accurate estimates to inform scope of work and managing to those budgets and scopes; developing and owning project timelines; Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Remote work is allowed within the U.S. with quarterly travel to Minneapolis, MN corporate office as needed for business. For confidential consideration, please submit résumé to hamy.huynh@collemcvoy.com.

PLEASE CONTACT

This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a hard copy.

ACCOUNTING DEPT billing@spokesman-recorder.com

EMPLOYMENT DISPLAY

SIZE: 2 COL X 3.50 INCHES

RATE $44.60 PER COL. INCH

SUBTOTAL: $312.20 PER WEEK

+2 WEEKS ONLINE $150.00

Residential Care Coordinator

Total Care Services, Hennepin County, MN

TOTAL: $462.20

Please proof, respond with email confirmation to ads @spokesman-recorder.com.

Multiple positions. Weekdays and weekend shifts. Develop and coordinate healthcare programs; Communicate between staff, patients and family; Handle patient case management and education; supervise aides; create schedules; Develop patient goals and monitor progress; and provide and supervise direct care for residents; Maintain patient confidentiality and quality care. B.A or B.SC required. Email resume to nnenna@tcalservices.com

The MSR handles billing digitally.

This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a hard copy.

two basketball tournaments— involving community folk.

Please Note: New email address for all future ads is ads@spokesman-recorder.com

The MSR handles billing digitally. This means you will get e-tears and e-mailed invoices unless you specifically request a hard copy.

Burrage surmised that sports can be the beginning foundation in teaching the

According to MSE’s Gabrielle Greer, this “conversation” is what her organization wanted to make part of the

“Yes, it’s a tournament, but the athletes are also humans, and those experiences as an athlete also become an asset. This is what we’re talking about building community beyond the court.” On the all-

Da’Brya Clark and Anjanae

Black DEI panel discussion, Greer said, “I’m grateful that they were able to say that in a way that was meaningful and contributing.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments at challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

“I believe in [Johnson] and I believe in what he’s done,” said

PRACTICE

Continued from page 10

Continued from page 10 them would not have the opportunity, especially BiPOC kids,” continued Trice.

With Michigan firing Juwan Howard last week, the Big Ten only has two Black male head coaches—Minnesota’s Ben Johnson and Mike Woodson of Indiana.

Tom Izzo, the dean of Big Ten coaches. “The guy deserves a lot of credit. He did a marvelous job of managing the game [against his Spartans]. At the end, we made a couple more plays than they did. When you look at him being a Minnesota kid, there’s going to be a lot of great years ahead of him.”

Game-winning layup UMD last weekend advanced

to the second round of the Division II NCAAs in Mankato with a buzzer-beating layup for a 5958 victory over Fort Hays.

“I think that’s probably the first game-winner as time expired that I’ve been a part of,” said Bulldogs guard Joshua Brown (Minneapolis) afterwards. “It’s a great time to have it—survive and advance.”

The team played Northwest Missouri State Sunday

evening. Results were not available at press time.

Norfolk State dominates Minneapolis’ Kierra Wheeler and her Norfolk State team virtually swept the MEAC season awards.

The 6-2 junior forward won Player of the Year and firstteam honors along with teammate Diamond Johnson; Niya Fields made second team, and

Richardson made All-Rookie. Wheeler and Johnson both made MEAC All-Defensive Team, and their coach Larry Wickers won Coach of the Year.

Wheeler made a key block with 13 seconds remaining as Norfolk State went on to win the MEAC Tournament title 51-46 last Saturday. She led all scorers with 20 points and 15 boards as the Spartans earned

the NCAA automatic bid. She is the team’s leading scorer (17.5 ppg), rebounding (9.4, second in conference) and blocks (1.4, second in conference).

“They’re headed to the dance once again!” her father Mario Green, who was at the contest, rejoiced.

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments at challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

“A lot of the kids have never been to Target Center or seen a basketball game at this level. I think it’s great and important to give kids opportunities and

access to the tournaments.” More importantly, the youngsters get to interact with POC who are individually successful both as former studentathletes and now as productive citizens in their post-athletic careers, “to see people they can aspire to be in life and doing great things,” said Hollins. Buford is a U of M athletics administrator, Hollins a

General Mills financial analyst, and Coleman is in real estate management.

The youth clinics were among the scheduled ancillary events in and around downtown Minneapolis during the last couple of weeks, which included:

• 3,500 snack packs prepared and distributed to local youth;

• New adjustable basketball hoops and new training equipment for kids in Grades K-5, along with a new mural installed at MLK Rec Center in St. Paul;

• Farview in North Minneapolis received an upgraded scoreboard and sport technology that will allow their teams to host games on their home court again;

• Big Ten Makers Market for handmade goods, artistic creations and unique finds for 50 local creators at downtown’s City Center;

• A “Critical Conversation” on mental health issues held last week.

Tournament Co-Chair Andrea Graham told the MSR last weekend that her team successfully accomplished its

primary goal to provide freeto-the-public activities to go alongside the basketball tournaments. “Everything flowed together well and had great attendance,” she reported. “We were able to bring in so many folk.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments at challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.

hat do sports have to do with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)? Plenty, say their supporters and those who are deeply involved in the longstanding efforts to create a leveled playing field in our society.

The national NAACP last week called on Black studentathletes to reconsider their decisions to attend public colleges and universities in Florida after its governor and legislature passed a law that banned these institutions from using government funds on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

NAACP President and CEO

Derrick Johnson in his letter to Black players nationwide urged them to “choose wisely” in selecting a college in Florida, emphasizing the crucial role of DEI “in ensuring equitable and effective educational outcomes.”

“Nothing we’ve done seems to be getting us over the hump. The world is not just about White men.”

At least 30 states with Republican politicians in charge have introduced bills to restrict or do away entirely DEI offices. Last year Texas passed a law ordering all DEI offices at

state-funded colleges and universities defunded.

“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly tweeted.

DEI was the overall theme of the March 6 “Critical Con-

versations” panel discussion held on the first day of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in downtown Minne

apolis. Sponsored by Minnesota Sports and Events (MSE), the panelists included State of MN Chief Equity Officer Dr. Shephanie Burrage and Minneapolis Public Schools Athletic Director Anthony Fisher. Kathie Eiland-Madison, Delta Dental of MN chief engagement and inclusion officer, and NMPD Chief DEI Officer Alex Tittle served as moderators.

DEI principles are reshaping the landscape of sports both on and off the court and field, especially in the representation of marginalized groups in sports leadership and management, agreed the four panelists.

“It is under fire,” declared Tittle. “The country is making an effort to reverse everything

■

aliyah Crump (Minnetonka Skippers), Liv McGill (Hopkins Royal), Zahara Bishop (Benilde St. Margaret’s Knights), and Aneisha Scott (DeLaSalle Islanders) all have something in common.

Each led their teams to the state girls basketball championship games held last week at Williams Arena and were named to the all-tournament teams in their respective classes.

University of Minnesota commit Tori McKinney added 18 points for the Skippers. The Royal were led by the 5’9’ McGill, the Metro Player of the Year, McDonald’s All-American and University of Florida recruit, who finished with18 points. Erma Walker added 14 and Laura Hillesheim 13.

In Class 3A, McDonald’s AllAmerican Olivia Olson, a 6’1” guard committed to the University of Michigan, led the way with 30 points in Benilde St. Margaret’s 81-58 win over DeLaSalle. Bishop, a 5’11’ junior guard, and Sydney Friedly contributed 11 each in the Knights’ victory. Bishop scored six of her points during a crucial stretch.

Scott, a 5’7’ junior, led DeLaSalle with 15 points, Madalyn Blaylark added 14, and Jordyn Johnson chipped in 10.

Dr.

he Big Ten has packed up and left town after two weeks of basketball. There were many sights and sounds at last week’s MBB tournament, and we tried to capture and report on them as much as possible.

“You come home, you want to play well in front of some of your family and friends.”

Showed out Michigan State soph Tre Holloman (Minneapolis) had an impressive tournament for the Spartans, who defeated Minnesota in their opening game last week. The 6-2 guard scored nine points (3-3 FGs), four assists, two steals and a rebound. He followed that performance with a 10-point effort against Purdue with four

boards, a steal and an assist.

“I guess I did play well and represented my city,” Holloman told the MSR. With family and friends in attendance, he added, “I had to show out.”

MSU Coach Tom Izzo said of Holloman after last Thursday’s Minnesota game, “I thought it was one of his best games. You

come home, you want to play well in front of some of your family and friends.”

First time there

There were many young Blacks who attended their first postseason tournament in person. One was 16-year-old Nation Medlock, who watched the

Gophers-Spartans game. His Minnesota Internship Center (MNIC) High School, a local charter school, purchased tickets and awarded them to students from their three campuses.

“I like it,” said Medlock, who added he wouldn’t have been able to attend if he hadn’t been selected.

Legends on the air

Former college stars Walt Williams (Maryland), Terry Mills (Michigan) and Billy McKinney (Northwestern) worked as analysts for their respective schools’ broadcasts at the tournament.

“Coming back here, there are so many great memories having lived in the Twin Cities for eight years. It’s fun to be back and run into old friends,” noted McKinney, who was the first Minnesota Timberwolves top executive during its expansion years and later as a team broadcaster.

Youth clinics offer inspiration and role models

By Charles Hallman Sports Columnist

n estimated 120 local youth, mostly boys and girls of color in grades 3-8, participated in two Practice With A Purpose basketball clinics in the basement of Target Center hosted by Minnesota Sports and Events (MSE) and ACES, a local youth organization, during the two Big Ten basketball tournaments.

Gopher alums Kiara Buford, Joe Coleman and Andre Hollins, along with PJ Hill and Andre Ingram, served as clinic

coaches. Buford, in her second year doing the clinic, told the MSR, “I love it.”

“I think it’s great and important to give kids opportunities and access to the tournaments.”

Added Hollins, “It’s always good to get kids together and build something positive…having fun.”

“It helps bring a level of inspiration to some of these kids,” noted Coleman. It’s more than basketball, said MSE Special Events Intern Sy’Rai Trice. She is the head lead for Practice With A Purpose. “We just don’t teach them about basketball, but also how important it is to be on a team and working together in the community. We are teaching kids a lot of good lessons that they can use on and off the court.”

MSE and the Big Ten supplied tickets for the youngsters to attend last Sunday’s championship game. “Many of

In Class 4A, Crump, a 6’3’ junior guard, scored 23 points in leading Minnetonka to a 64-56 victory over Hopkins.

Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader comments at

Aaliyah Crump (Minnetonka)

All photos by Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald

Liv McGill (Hopkins)

Zahara Bishop (Benilde St. Margaret’s)

Aneisha Scott (DeLaSalle)

DEI panelists (l-r) Alex Tittle, Antony Fisher, Kathie Eiland-Madison, Dr. Shephanie Burrage

Photo by Charles Hallman

Kierra Wheeler Submitted photo Joshua Brown Photo by Charles Hallman

(l-r) Joe Coleman, Kiera Buford, Andre Hollins