March 23, 2023 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

‘One Minnesota’ budget could impact Black communities

By Abdi Mohamed

Contributing Writer

With a revision of the state’s budget proposal being unveiled, members of the Walz administration have underlined their commitment to equity in helping craft the proposal by engaging Black and Brown Minnesotans every step of the way.

Last Thursday, Governor

Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan shared their revised “One Minnesota” budget proposal after releasing a previous version earlier this year. The new proposal includes new investments in the areas of public safety, education, and local projects.

According to Governor Walz, the fundamentals of the pro-

posal haven’t changed, but new information gained in that time helped the administration

restructure its budget to have the capacity to invest in more areas—most notably in public

safety where there is an increase of over $200 million dollars.

Hennepin County’s new sheriff brings a lifetime of experience and passion to the job

By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer

Dawanna Witt is the first woman and the first Black person to lead the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department.

Sitting in the department’s main reception area, one can’t help but notice the picture wall with Witt’s color photo standing out amid the array of all-White men who previously served as county sheriff.

down interview last week in her corner office in City Hall.

“I never pretended to be somebody else. I am comfortable in my skin.

“If nothing else, it’s not just that I’m a Black woman who’s the first, but I did it by being me. That’s the message that needs to get to people. You don’t have to be someone else. You don’t have to conform to something that is different from your core values. You can do it being you.”

Witt defeated Joseph Banks by almost a two-to-one margin last November in a historic election that featured two Black candidates running for sheriff. She was sworn into office in January, and the new sheriff readily admitted that she hasn’t stopped running since.

Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt Courtesy of Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office

By Abdi Mohamed

Contributing

Writer

Although this current budget proposal has made historic strides to invest in Minnesota’s communities of color by centering equity in its approach, there are some who believe it hasn’t gone far enough.

Dr. Bruce Corrie is a professor of economics at Concordia University in St. Paul and has roughly 30 years of experience in the field. Last month he released his analysis of the administration’s budget proposal in relation to African Americans and African immigrants, Latino, Asian, and Native American communities, or ALANA as he refers to them in his analysis.

Dr. Corrie stated that while there was plenty of information on how agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) would enforce equity through this budget, there were other departments such as transportation that had little to no information regarding closing the gaps in disparity.

He also states that the two-year window that the budget operates on is not enough to fund the initiatives that are needed to uplift ALANA community members and that longterm investments need to be made now with the surplus still available.

fund to support wealth building within communities of color who have been historically excluded from the job and housing markets.

Another point of investment Dr. Corrie highlighted in his report was $30 million toward cultural districts and corridors in the Twin Cities and around the state to financially empower entrepreneurs while serving as a culturally enriching experience for all Minnesotans.

Though Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan hadn’t come across Dr. Corrie’s report, her response to the criticism that the budget hadn’t gone far enough or was too limited in scope was that this budget proposal was just the start.

“What I’m most proud about is that I never compromised who I was to get on that wall,” stressed Witt during our sit-

“Since day one, it has been go, go, go,” said Witt. “I want to make sure that I deliver, because being the first woman, also the first Black woman to do this, I know there’s a lot of people who have eyes on me. There’s some that are sup-

porting me, and there’s some wanting to see whatever my mistakes are.

“I got a lot of work to do, internally and externally,” she stressed.

in recent years when crime rates have risen, especially during the pandemic and with George Floyd’s murder in 2020. Combating violent crime in the county is a top priority. But the sheriff wants to ensure that her 800-plus

“If we don’t do anything now in this historic moment when we have the resource, we’ll never do it,” Dr. Corrie said. “Now is the moment to do things and to do it in an intelligent, long-term sustaining manner so that we can say that when it came to us, we rose up to the challenge to address the remedy and the inequalities of the past.”

Part of Dr. Corrie’s proposal is a $350 million development and flexible capital

“This is just the beginning of the work that we have to do. I think we have set the tone over the past year of community engagement,” she said. “There’s more that we can do and we’re eager to do it.

“I also know that this is a first volley, like every budget that the governor and I put out. Then we look at the legislature to get it done. There’s more opportunity for us to do this work.

Abdi Mohamed welcomes reader comments at amohamed@spokesmanrecorder.com.

Hackers release Minneapolis Public Schools data on the dark web

By Cole Miska

Contributing Writer

Last week, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) announced that data from students, staff and community was illegally taken from its servers in what it calls an ‘encryption event,’ and that the information has been leaked on the dark web. The compromised MPS data is now accessible on the dark web—a group of internet sites that are only accessible using a specialized web browser—designed to keep internet activity anonymous and perpetuate cybercrimes.

The encryption virus that gathered the data was installed on MPS servers in February by Medusa,

a ransomware group. Medusa demanded a $1 million ransom to not release the stolen data, which includes sensitive information dating back as far as 1995. Since MPS did not pay the ransom, the data was released online on March 17.

“We are working with cybersecurity specialists to quickly and securely download the data so that we can conduct an in-depth and comprehensive review to determine the full scope of what personal information was impacted and to whom the information relates,” MPS said in an update on its website. “This will take some time. You will be contacted directly

■ See WITT on page 5 ■ See BUDGET on page 5

“This is just the beginning of the work that we have to do. I think we have set the tone over the past year of community engagement.”

How equitable is the proposed state budget?

“If nothing else, it’s not just that I’m a Black woman who’s the first, but I did it by being me.”

Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo Guest Contributor

Have you ever shown up to a pharmacy and been told your insurance expired so you can’t get your meds? Get a bill after a visit to the doctor that was much larger than you expected?

For those who get health coverage through Medicaid (called Medical Assistance in Minnesota) or MinnesotaCare, that may start happening more frequently in 2023. That’s because a COVID-19 policy impacting our healthcare coverage is ending.

All states, including Minnesota, received money from the federal government to keep people on their Medicaid coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that even if something changed in people’s lives that previously would have affected their eligibility—like making a bit more money one month or getting an offer for health insurance from your employer—states

Health

Your (or a loved one’s) healthcare coverage may be on the line Let’s work together to maintain it

could not kick you off your Medicaid coverage.

But with the sense in Washington that it’s time to end the COVID-19 public health emergency, a recent federal law ends this policy. States must start the process of checking to see if everyone on Medicaid is eligible for ongoing healthcare coverage from the state.

This means over the next 15 months one in four, roughly 1.5 million, Minnesotans will have to submit paperwork to renew their coverage that shows they meet the government’s eligibility rules. This is also coming at a time when testing, doctors’ visits, vaccines, and medication to treat COVID-19 will start to come with price tags that they haven’t had since the start of the pandemic.

We know all of these changes will impact our community even more—recent data show that 42% of Black Minnesotans under age 65 get their health care from Medicaid, and that number rises when we look at our children (58%) and mothers/birthing persons (80%).

It’s therefore critical we get the word out early and often while working together to make sure folks don’t lose access to lifesaving care or get stuck with big, avoidable medical bills as a result.

Some glitches are inevitable

The state’s priority is to make sure every person who has Medical Assistance or

MinnesotaCare keeps their insurance if they’re still eligible. If they’re not, we want to help connect them to different health insurance options so there is no gap in coverage.

However, we know that some portion of enrollees who are still eligible for coverage may lose their health insurance due to issues with the renewal process, like not receiving or recognizing the notice in the mail, failing to return paperwork on time, paperwork getting lost, or other administrative issues unrelated to their actual eligibility.

Based on what we saw before the pandemic we expect up to half of enrollees who

lose healthcare coverage to eventually re-enroll. However, we also know these drops in coverage historically have disproportionately happened to Black, Native, Hispanic and Asian Minnesotans as well as those who don’t speak English as a first language.

And right now, roughly 40 percent of Minnesota children are covered by our state health insurance, so drops in coverage for them can lead to troubles with preventive screenings for sports, camps, and other activities, getting shots for school, and keeping them healthy from the very start. This all has the potential to compound Minnesota’s existing racial disparities in health outcomes, which are among the worst in the nation.

How can you get ready?

So, how can you make sure you’re in the best position to keep your or a loved one’s coverage? We’re hoping you’ll take some steps to prepare before your renewal and reach out for help if you need it.

The most important thing that you or a loved one who has Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare can do right now is update your contact information so we can reach you when it’s your time to renew. The important paperwork you’ll need to fill out and return to keep your insurance will be mailed to your current address on file. We’ll also text you when it’s time to watch for your paperwork in the mail and remind you to return it.

Accurate contact information is therefore very important for people who’ve moved or gotten a new email or phone number since enrolling. You can update your contact information with your county, Tribal agency or health plan (if you work with one like UCare, BlueCross, HennepinHealth, etc.).

Next, check out the Medicaid renewal resources available on the state’s new webpage mn.gov/dhs/renewmycoverage. You’ll find information on how to prepare for your renewal, answers to frequently asked questions, and how to sign up for news and updates.

Third, reach out with any questions. If you want to sit down with an expert, navigators are available in the community to answer questions and help you fill out the renewal paperwork. You may have already worked with navigators at your clinic, your child’s school, or through a

local organization (like Briva Health or Community Action Partnership).

If not, and you know you may need some help filling out the paperwork or making sure it gets where it needs to on time, you can search for a navigator near you on MNsure, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace. Hundreds of navigators who speak a wide variety of languages are ready to assist you. Services from MNsure-certified navigators are always free.

What happens next

Starting this April DHS will send out paperwork that needs to be completed to a group of enrollees each month.

What group you or a loved one are in will depend on what month you initially signed up for coverage and what type of coverage you have.

Renewals for people who have MinnesotaCare will resume beginning in October 2023. If you miss the deadline, know that enrollment is always open and that you may qualify for retroactive coverage.

if you’re eligible.

Learning from the COVID-19 response

We know some challenges will come up as folks renew their Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare coverage. This is a lot of complicated paperwork for our staff and partners to handle. The process depends on postal mail. It’s likely many people have moved, changed jobs, or experienced other life changes that will complicate an already complex process that hasn’t happened in a few years.

With all that in mind, we’re working hard to make sure things go as smoothly as possible. For example, we’re drawing on what we learned during the pandemic by doing what we can to meet communities where they’re at, getting information out early and often, and working with partners to think of different ways and places we can help people have what they need to reenroll successfully.

Other options

If you learn during the renewal process that you’re no longer eligible for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare, you still have other options to get affordable coverage.

First, check with your employer to see if your job offers health insurance. Your employer is required to give you up to 60 days after your loss of Medicaid eligibility to enroll in your employer’s group plan.

Next, check your options through MNsure, our state’s marketplace where you can shop for coverage, compare your options, and apply for financial help to lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. You can also connect with a broker or navigator to get free application and enrollment help as you browse the marketplace. MNsure may invite you directly to check out plans

In February, we pulled together over 200 community members and state agency, county and health plan staff to share information and ideas on how we can do better during this renewal process. We plan to build from that momentum. Working together, we can come out of this with a system that works better for us and our community, one that keeps us connected to care and to health.

Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo is the medical director for the State of Minnesota’s Medicaid/Medical Assistance & MinnesotaCare programs and practices as a general pediatrician in Brooklyn Center with Park Nicollet. He is a board member of the Minnesota 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.

As we spend more time indoors, here are some important reminders:

The most important thing that you or a loved one who has Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare can do right now is update your contact information.

IMPROV FEST

By Charles Hallman

Contributing Writer

The Black and Funny Improv Festival, once a small, one-day workshop and panel discussion event, now spans five days of live shows featuring Black talent and performers of color locally and from across the country. The festival runs from March 22-26 at HUGE Improv Theatre in South Minneapolis.

The fest was originally an idea conceived by Minneapolis improv artist Jill Bernard, who helped start the all-Black improv group Marcus Garvey Experiment. She then invited John Gebretatose to join. Gebretatose was inspired and asked Bernard to help him teach improv workshops to inner-city kids.

to amplify Black comedic talent

“Jill is a great ally, too,” noted Pulley. “She was really involved in starting the first all-Black improv group. She’s like a ‘down’ White woman.”

Black people are indeed funny, and not just in classic stand-up routines, stressed Pulley. “The great thing about improv is that it’s different. You’re not necessarily going for the laugh, not necessarily just sitting there telling jokes.”

There is also a distinct difference between traditional White improv and Black improv, she pointed out.

Eventually, Gebretatose, who once trained and worked at Brave New Workshop, was asked to join an all-Black improv group called Blackout, where he met Alsa Bruno, a Black stand-up comic and actor from Texas. The two became fast friends.

The two men went on to create the Black and Funny Improv Festival in 2016, and according to festival di-

rector Jada Pulley, it has grown ever since, save for 2020 when the pandemic forced the festival to go virtual.

“I call him my improv father,” said Pulley of Gebretatose, a veteran of Twin Cities stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy. Gebretatose is also a founding member of Late Nights Minneapolis, a sketch comedy show.

Breaking the mold

Improvisation, or improv, is a form of live theater in which the plot, characters and dialogue of a game, scene or story are made up, in the moment, in front of an audience. It is “typically a White-dominated art form,” said Pulley.

Groups like Second City in Chicago and The Groundlings in Los Angeles soon became the two top improv sites, but most major U.S. cities have some sort of improv theater offerings—Brave New Workshop is a local example.

In recent years, Blacks have made strides in the comedic art form. In 1993, Shawn Landry co-founded the nation’s first Black improv troupe, Oui Be Negroes, in Chicago after co-

Resource Fair for Caregivers

founder Hans Simmons founded The Underground Theatre Conspiracy, also in Chicago, in 1985. According to its website, the goal of Black and Funny Improv Festival is to create awareness within the Twin Cities Black community that improv is an art form that they can perform

and benefit from.

It’s an annual opportunity to “showcase [Black] talent and has grown into a five-day extravaganza” like similar Black improv events held in Florida and Rhode Island, added Pulley. “It has just really grown.”

She credits Bernard for her vision:

“I can’t say that all of our shows are clean,” she admitted. “Our vibe is not to have things be dirty just for the sake of being dirty. But it’s also like, we’re not a G-rated thing. It’s kind of just in the middle. We tried to be a little bit more thoughtful with our comedies.”

In addition to the local group Blackout, two visiting international ensembles, My Momma’s Biscuits and Stir Friday Night, are also expected to perform at the festival.

“We want people to see people who are Black,” concluded Pulley.

The Black and Funny Improv Festival takes place at the HUGE Improv Theatre, located at 3037 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis. Shows will begin on Wed., March 22 at 7 pm and programming will be held each night until the festival wraps up on Sun., March 26 at 11 pm.

The public can also sign up for Sat. improv workshops. Go to www.blackandfunny.com for schedule, tickets, and workshop information.

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesmanrecorder.com.

Jada Pulley and John Gebretatose

Photo by C. Michael Menge

Continued from page 1

The administration’s One Minnesota budget aims to invest in several areas such as childcare, clean energy jobs, and increasing access to comprehensive healthcare. With the state’s surplus topping $17 billion, this budget has provided an opportunity for political leaders to showcase their priorities, by influencing where resources are allocated.

Outreach to communities of color

To engage marginalized community members and provide them with an opportunity to impact the budget proposal, Dr. Stephanie Burrage, deputy commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Education, formed the “Mind, Body, and Soul” group in the spring of 2022. Through the group, she developed a relationship with leaders and stakeholders within the Black community to provide a platform for discussion around the budget proposal and what community members would like to see included.

“We want to be able to stand by and say, this is not just the governor’s budget, this is our budget too,” Dr. Burrage said.

The group, made up of mostly Black and Brown community members and leaders, met virtually usually once a month, to give direct input and feedback to administrative leaders in Minnesota’s government, including the governor and lieutenant governor. Commissioners or their designees joined the meetings, presenting disaggregated data with the intention of painting a picture of the impact on specific communities.

Dr. Burrage added individuals she believed could speak to the needs of their respective communities and welcomed them to include others who could be beneficial to the process.

The first session started with around 80 people last April but has grown to 800 people. Dr. Burrage says that she sees the group growing to at least 1,000 for their next meet-

Witt

Continued from page 1

staff, including 300-plus deputies, is up to the challenge.

“One of the things I said to my staff is that anything that resembles a good ole boy system is out the window,” she continued. “What I’m looking for is a team that has the passion to do this work.”

Previously, Witt headed the county’s adult detention and court services. Along with that department, she now oversees the state’s largest jail, among other departments, as well as providing assistance whenever needed in municipalities such as Minneapolis and the inner-ring suburbs.

The sheriff also wants to recruit more officers and properly train them to serve all Hennepin County residents. “I just want the best people who have passion to do this work, because that passion will drive us all to do the best and to get to a better place.”

ing in April.

Robert Doty, former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Revenue and now chief financial officer at the Science Museum of Minnesota is working with Dr. Burrage in virtual budget outreach meetings. Both have worked closely with the Walz administration, so their experi-

of Juneteenth as a state holiday, as being due in part to the increased diversity in the legislature.

“It is not an accident that these things are happening when we have three Black women in the Senate,” she said. “All of these things are happening when we have the most diverse legislature and the most

There was a particular emphasis on Black wealth-building through homeownership and entrepreneurial support programs.

For small businesses, much of the discussion surrounded proposals to connect Black entrepreneurs to more resources and technical assistance. For homeownership, the focus was on closing the gap between Black and White Minnesotans by supporting first-time homeowners with down payments and access to 0% interest loans.

get proposal as an effort to support organizations led by communities of color that can best disperse these resources to areas and communities that have been historically divested.

The Mind, Body, and Soul group also focused on the topic of education. Lt. Governor Flanagan shared her goal of involving more members of the Black community in the efforts to hire more teachers of color in schools.

ence gives them access to the administration in dealing with community members. At times, Governor Walz or Lt. Governor Flanagan or both were present during meetings with Black community members. During these meetings, individuals would share their personal stories and offer solutions to help improve their quality of life.

Commissioners or their delegates would have about 15 to 20 minutes to share information with the community about what their respective agencies were working on and receive feedback from those who would be impacted by their efforts. The sessions also became a great opportunity for individuals to learn more about the legislative process and how the proposal would influence legislation that would then be enforced by agencies.

Mind, Body, and Soul issues

The overarching theme throughout the Mind, Body, and Soul meetings was that this information was being discussed through a lens focused on the experience of Minnesota’s black community.

“We had a rule when we started this. We were not going to use the term BIPOC,” Doty said.

Flanagan credits this focus on the Black community, the recent passage of the Crown Act and the recognition

Witt’s passion is obvious as she talks about her job and law enforcement in general. She loves to talk, but more importantly, she listens as well. She quickly points out that it wasn’t always that way for her.

Growing up on the North Side in a large family, “I was always reserved, just kept things to myself. I think a lot of that was just based on my upbringing. I used to be the quiet one. I used to be shy.”

But that shyness soon disappeared, or as Witt calls it, she

Black members that we’ve ever had.

The president of the Senate, Bobby Joe Champion is a Black man. That matters.”

Although the focus was on Minnesota’s Black residents, the issues raised were wide and far-reaching. According to Dr. Burrage, workforce development, criminal justice

“Many households are ready to become homeowners that can afford a mortgage, but they lack sufficient funds for a down payment. The budget includes $28 million over the next two years for down payment assistance and closing costs loans to help homeowners bridge the gap,” Dr. Burrage said.

Investment in Black communities

With the recent announcements of businesses exiting the Northside, investment in Black neighborhoods has become crucial for residents and community leaders alike. To address

“We need to make sure if we have these resources that are available to hire, recruit and retain more Black educators, that we are working with the community themselves to get these folks to apply,” Flanagan said.

As deputy commissioner of the state’s education department, Dr. Burrage was keen on the details surrounding education programs that would support students and their families. She pointed to childcare, culturally specific afterschool programs, and universal meals as initiatives that made it into the budget proposal due to the group’s influence.

While these meetings were mostly productive and informative conversations between administrators and constituents, there were moments when people took time to air their frustrations and hold state leaders accountable.

“Some of the things, quite frankly, that the governor and lieutenant governor are hearing are not always pleasant,” Doty said. “I give them a lot of credit because they sit there, and they listened to the whole thing. They understood the level of passion that’s related to a lot of these specific concerns and ultimately the kind of proposals that came forward from that.”

Flanagan stressed how important it was for her and other political leaders to take the opportunity to listen to constituents directly and embrace their vulnerability. “I think so often what happens when we engage with elected officials or when community engages with elected officials it’s for us to share information,” Flanagan said.

reform, affordable housing, and health were just a few of the issues discussed during these meetings.

this, Lt. Governor Flanagan pointed to the over $200 million in cash and equity bonding added to the bud-

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

Witt went on to attend and complete college and become a family worker. “My first degree was in chemical dependency and family therapy. So I was working in those two environments with families who are often in our criminal justice system as well as child protection services,” she recalled. “It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it because it was something that I could relate to.”

She took her own experience and skills and transformed them into a two-decades-plus career in law enforcement—first at the

and court services department. Her career change also caught some of her family members off guard. “I come from a very colorful family when it comes to the law,” Witt said smiling.

be doing or what you think they should be like.

“They need to know how to deal with conflicts better,” she pointed out.

As she approaches her first 100 days in office, Witt knows that there is so much to do and no time to celebrate.

“At this time the sheriff of Hennepin County is someone who is actually doing this job because I care about what happens next,” said Witt. “I understand the importance of making sure that we are proactive” in combating violent crime and other issues facing the county, she added.

was forced to “transition” and become more assertive. “I was a mom at 15, on my own, still going to high school and taking care of my baby,” she said proudly.

Hennepin County jail in 2000, then later in positions with Dakota and Hastings counties before returning to Hennepin in 2019 as a major in the detention

“There are some family members who did not appreciate or like the fact that I went into the [law enforcement] field. Some of them were just afraid that this profession would change me. But those who stuck

around and supported me saw that I was still the same.

“The law enforcement profession needs more de-escalation skills,” Witt said. “We need to understand that sometimes people just need to be heard. They need to know that people are taking the time to actually understand them, instead of putting them in a box or a stereotype of what you think they should

“This is what I will say to your readers. You can be compassionate. You can be empathetic. And you can also hold people accountable. To say that you can only be one or the other, that’s the wrong answer.

“I’m somebody who believes that all of these things can be done, and that’s how I will handle myself in this new role.”

Hackers

Continued from page 1

and to not download or share the data released in the leak, as “this plays into the cybercriminals’ hands by drawing attention to the information and increasing our community’s fear and panic.”

their data compromised. Coldwater recommends that anyone in these groups should assume that their data has been breached.

breached is to use a password manager to create a new strong and unique password for any account that has recently been used within the MPS network. They also recommend freezing credit if anything looks suspicious on a credit report.

that right away.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments at challman@ spokesman-recorder.com. by MPS if our review indicates that your personal information has been impacted.”

MPS has asked the community to exercise caution when interacting with suspicious communications, to change the passwords of any accounts used on an MPS device,

Local cybersecurity expert and professional hacker Ian Coldwater says people who are potentially affected by the hack should not panic but should “know and prepare.”

Coldwater, who has looked through the leaked data, says students, staff, parents, school bus drivers, and vendors may have had

Coldwater’s suggestion for anyone whose data may have been

“Keep an eye on your accounts, like your financial accounts and statements, for anything weird,” Coldwater said. “If you get any fraudulent charges, if you have people trying to sign into your account as you, trying to change your password, if you see anything weird, make sure to act on

As many older parents and staff may not be active on social media, Coldwater encourages community members to talk to family and friends who may not know about the leak so that they can take action. MPS has pledged to provide free credit monitoring and identity-theft protection services for anyone whose personal information was accessed.

Cole Miska welcomes reader comments at cmiska@spokesman-recorder. com.

“We want to be able to stand by and say, this is not just the governor’s budget, this is our budget too.”

“If you see anything weird, make sure to act on that right away.”

“You don’t have to be someone else. You don’t have to conform to something that is different from your core values. You can do it being you.”

Gov. Walz and One Minnesota outreach organizer Dr. Burrage (center back) Courtesy of the Office of Governor Tim Walz

Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt

Photo by Charles Hallman

Women’s History Month

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder celebrates Women’s History Month

As part of the MSR’s celebration of Women’s History Month, we are continuing to profile some of the Black women leaders in the Twin Cities metro area. They come from all walks of life, are accomplished in their respective fields, and have had an impact on our communities. Some of the names you may recognize, while others are less well-known. However, all are worthy of recognition and our tribute. MSR will continue to profile women leaders throughout the month of March.

The Legacy

with women all over the world.

The Talker

■ See Bridges on page 9

I don’t want to be the only Black person, the only Black woman, or the only person of color... I’m done waiting for institutions to make it happen. I made sure I created an all-women staff to give them an opportunity.

- Twila Dang

The pandemic

come communities if banks were not present,”

Dorothy Bridges

Photo by Steve Floyd Twila Dang

Photo by Chris Juhn

Women’s History Month

The Fighter

ndrea Jenkins’ journey to becoming Minneapolis City Council president started in high school. Born in 1961 and raised in Chicago during the Civil Rights era not far from where Black Panther Fred Hampton was brutally killed, Jenkins went to Lindblom Technical High School on Chicago’s South Side, where she and several of her classmates wanted to celebrate Black History Week.

“When I was in high school, Black History Month didn’t exist,” she said as she spoke with the MSR in her corner office inside Minneapolis City Hall one snowy day.

“The principal said no, and so we staged a walkout.”

After high school, Jenkins moved to the Twin Cities to study at the University of Minnesota, though her bio says she received her bachelor’s from Metro State University. Eventually, she found herself working for Hennepin County, helping mothers get on public assistance.

Seeing those young mothers come in over and over again, she said, made her decide to go back to school to study community development at Southern New Hampshire University, where she developed her theory of change.

“My theory of change is like a three-legged stool. One leg is social services,” she said. “You also need to have advocacy. You need people who are going to be in the streets, making noise, creating the conditions to have these issues heard as an important part of the struggle,” said Jenkins. “Then you have to have people in positions of government authority to make changes in those areas.”

She then returned to the city to work as a policy aide for two different council members over the span of 15 years. She eventually won a seat occupied by one of her predecessors

and served South Minneapolis and the city through some of the most trying times in its history.

“I helped to lead the city through a global pandemic that we’re still dealing with,” said Jenkins. “We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent uprisings that really brought a lot of destruction to our community, some of it perpetrated by the police, some perpetrated by, you know, other nefarious actors claiming to be protesters.”

She mentions declaring racism as a public health crisis and helping pass the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a blueprint updated every decade to change what is legal to build on city lands, to accommodate regional estimates for population growth.

She’s not done yet. Pointing to a whiteboard she wrote the first day she took office, Jenkins wants to revitalize the 38th Street corridor near where she lives. She hopes to bring in a center for racial healing at the intersection of 38th and Chicago.

“I would love to see in this space talk therapists, massage therapists, [a] yoga studio, a place where people can come and lay their burdens down for a moment and seek some self-care, some self-love and some beauty,” said Jenkins.

She also hopes to have increased homeownership opportunities and life expectancy, opportunities for business development, and access to healthy lifestyles for communities of color. “Beyond that, I want to write some books,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins credits author Haki Madhubuti as an early mentor who inspired her to become a poet. Professionally, she attributes her success to Turning Point’s Peter Hayden, as well as former Minneapolis City Council member and current Metropolitan Council member Robert Lilligren, former Minneapolis City Council member Elizabeth Glidden, former

■ See Jenkins on page 9

The Artist

The Farmer

ngela “Iyegbah” Dawson is a 4th-generation farmer and land sustainability specialist, who is carrying on her family’s lineage through Forty Acre Co-op, the first Black farming cooperative in the U.S. since Reconstruction.

“My father’s family were all farmers who had large farming colonies in Iowa,” she said. “However, Black farming has been a difficult journey for them. They lost the farming legacy due to racist economic programs that directed resources to White farmers. So I was raised and fostered by my aunts in Minnesota, who were powerful community leaders.”

Born in Minnesota and raised part-time in Los Angeles, Dawson was in law school on track to become a corporate attorney when, she says, she was called back to her farming roots.

“I took a sabbatical to study the growing cannabis industry in other parts of the country where it was fully legal and became frustrated with the lack of diversity within business ownership,” she said. “What I saw was an intentional exclusion of Black business owners in this space.”

Today, she lives on her farm in Pine County, MN, with her partner Harold raising pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, and growing hemp and vegetables, while teaching others farmland sustainability. “I grow products that help people live a more balanced, healthy, and stress-free life.” She said, “and I use climate-friendly regenerative practices on my farm.”

After college, she stayed in Minnesota and raised three daughters who have established successful businesses and careers for themselves in Minnesota as well. “My children and my community motivate me to leave the world in a better, more just place than it was when I came into adulthood,” she said.

“The farming legacy of my predecessors and the tenacity of small and regenerative farmers who persevere with ingenuity, even against

rtist Leslie Barlow points to what she calls “real path-forgers like Kerry James Marshall, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and Adrian Piper,” as some of her most important influences.

The Minnesota-born and -raised painter is something of a “path forger” herself.

Barlow’s paintings delve heavily into the lives of several subjects that are still marginalized in the art world and in painting. But she is most known for her work depicting multiracial families and individuals, which Western art still largely ignores.

One of Barlow’s largest exhibits thus far was 2017’s Loving, aptly named for the Supreme Court Loving v Virginia decision on interracial marriage, which featured ten portraits of interracial couples.

“When we’re thinking about race and thinking about who has been prioritized, especially whose values have been prioritized in our visual media and paintings, and thinking about who belongs and who does not, I look at my paintings as a way to help heal and make space for Black and Brown folks, people of color,” she explained in an interview.

Thirty-four-year-old Barlow, who herself comes from a mixed heritage, received her BFA from the University of WisconsinStout and her MFA from Minneapolis Col-

significant barriers, inspires me. The realization that so many people do not understand the unique value and richness that encompasses the Black farmer is painful to witness.

“I’ve always been aware of the history and disposition of living in Minnesota as an American Descendant of Slaves (ADOS). But my experience with racism in the workplace in the form of unrelenting microaggressions and pay inequities led me on a search to discover my own value,” said Dawson. “I found a career that was more aligned with who I saw myself to be, and that also helps a lot of other people.”

Dawson works with farmers who are just starting out and interested in regenerative farming and learning about the hemp and CBD market. She also teaches and mentors groups on building a cooperative, and hosts groups and tours as well as speaking to emerging farmers and cooperators. She is offering land access and ownership courses that will be available to the public in April.

“Success is doing work that aligns with my principles of fairness, justice, healing and creativity while establishing a legacy that my great-grandchildren can be proud of and helping other people do the same,” she said.

“I am on a path to be one of the first Black women craft-cannabis business owners in the state of Minnesota. And that is no small feat when taking into consideration all of the barriers that exist in this industry.”

Her advice for those who want to follow in her footsteps: “The world can be a fearful and unforgiving place for young women. I would tell them to pursue their healing with no regrets.

“They will find peace and purpose in their healing, and it will bring them more rewards than any job or degree can ultimately offer. I also encourage Black women to discover or seek out any farmers in their family history. There is richness in our families’ farming history.”

Profile by contributing writer Cole Miska

lege of Art and Design. Barlow actively exhibits her work throughout the United States, and many of her pieces are in private and public collections. One of her murals can be found outside the offices of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Although she reveals that she has always been an artist, she never envisioned art as a career. Until college, she had resigned herself to being an interior designer, the only serious career she thought would allow her to incorporate her passion for art.

gates her career.

“I’m constantly trying to suppress my imposter syndrome. I can often be the youngest and the only woman of color in a room. Feelings of not being good enough, which is really White supremacy and patriarchy, can play with and mess up your mind.”

Barlow takes steps to combat this. “I try my best to suppress those feelings, and therapy helps a lot. I also do a lot of work to support other young BIPOC artists, most of whom are women, through mentorship.”

“I always really loved art as a child,” Barlow stated. “Art making has always been part of my life—just as a way for me to express myself. As a young person, I also used it to just pass the time. I didn’t actually know that you could be an artist as a career until college, when some professors presented it as a possibility.”

Having now established herself in the art world, Barlow must confront other issues. Being a person of color and being a woman also impact the ways she navi-

Barlow tends to use large canvases and lots of slightly muted, vibrant color. On the canvas, those she depicts are curious and inviting. Instead of using the traditional term “subjects” for those she depicts, she uses the term “collaborator.” Explained Barlow, “I very much see it as a collaboration. I want my work to be honest, but I also want the person or people that are being represented to feel connected to it as well, or I guess, approve, because sometimes the stuff I’m painting about is tough, not happy stories.”

Although Barlow has been lauded for her pioneering work on interracial relationships, it would be an oversimplification to say that encompasses her whole mission. Her practice goes much further. “Yes, my work talks about adoption and

Andrea Jenkins

Photo by H. Jiahong Pan

Leslie Barlow

Angela Dawson

Photo by S. Whiting

“I’m really persistent. ‘No’ is like my fuel.”

- Leslie Barlow

It wasn’t a choice to be a trans woman. The only choice I had in the matter was whether I would stay hidden from myself or if I would share my beautiful self with the world.

- Andrea Jenkins

The world can be a fearful and unforgiving place for young women. I would tell them to pursue their healing with no regrets.

- Angela Dawson

By Jeremy Earp

“All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.”

–Viet Thanh Nguyen

As mainstream U.S. media outlets pause to remember the U.S. invasion of Iraq, it’s clear that there’s a lot they hope we’ll forget—first and foremost, the media’s own active complicity in whipping up public support for the war.

But the more you dig into mainstream news coverage from that period, the harder it is to forget how flagrantly broadcast and cable news networks across the political landscape uncritically spread the Bush administration’s propaganda and actively excluded dissenting voices.

The numbers don’t lie. A 2003 report by the media watchdog Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) found that in the two weeks leading up to the invasion, ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, and the PBS Newshour featured a total of 267 American experts, analysts and commentators on camera to supposedly help make sense of the march to war.

Of these 267 guests, an astounding 75 percent were current or former government or military officials, and a grand total of one expressed any skepticism.

Meanwhile, in the fast-growing world of cable news, Fox News’s tough-talking, pro-war jingoism was setting the standard for ratings-wary executives at most of the more “liberal” ca-

invasion

ble networks. MSNBC and CNN, feeling the heat of what industry insiders were calling “the Fox effect,” were desperately trying to outflank their right-wing rival— and one another—by actively eliminating critical voices and seeing who could bang the war drums loudest.

At MSNBC, as the Iraq invasion approached in early 2003, network executives decided to fire Phil Donahue even though his show had the highest ratings on the channel. A leaked internal memo explained that top management saw Donahue as “a tired, left-wing liberal” who would be a “difficult public face for NBC in a time of war.”

A historic vote and the tools it gave us

By Ben Jealous

Vice President Kamala Harris is sure to be remembered every March in Women’s History Month as the first woman and the first person of color to serve our nation in that position. As notable as those two facts are, she may grow to be known just as much for a single vote in the Senate that helped save the planet.

Last August, she broke the 50-50 deadlock between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. That historic package, along with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Harris had crisscrossed the country in 2021 to build support for, give us a once-ina-generation chance to protect the climate and build a cleaner, fairer economy.

When she was elected San Francisco’s district attorney 20 years ago, she started one of the first environmental justice units in a prosecutor’s office.

that she has joked she couldn’t understand as a youngster why people she knew said conservatives were bad.

Noting that Donahue “seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration’s motives,” the memo warned ominously that his show could end up being “a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity.”

Not to be outdone, CNN

submissions@spokesman-recorder.com submissions@spokesman-recorder.com.

news chief Eason Jordan would boast on air that he had met with Pentagon officials during the run-up to the invasion to get their approval for the on-camera war “experts” the network would rely on.

“I think it’s important to have experts explain the war and to describe the military hardware, describe the tactics, talk about the strategy behind the conflict,” Jordan explained: “I went to the Pentagon myself several times before the war started and met with important people there and said… ‘Here are the generals we’re thinking of retaining to advise us on the air and off about the war,’ and we got a big thumbs up on all of them. That was important.”

The result was a barely debated, deceit-driven, headlong rush into a war of choice that would go on to destabilize the region, accelerate global terrorism, bleed trillions of dollars from the U.S. treasury, and kill thousands of U.S. servicemembers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, most of them innocent civilians.

Yet two decades later, as we hurtle ever closer to potentially catastrophic new wars, there’s been virtually no accountability or sustained reporting in mainstream news media to remind us of their own decisive role in selling the Iraq war.

It’s an act of forgetting we can ill afford, especially as many of the same media patterns from 20 years ago now repeat themselves—from the full-scale reboot and rehabilitation of leading Iraq war architects and cheerleaders to the news media’s continuing over-reliance on “experts” drawn from the revolving-door world of the Pentagon and the arms industry (often without disclosure).

“Memory is a strategic resource in any country, especially the memory of wars,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen has written. “By controlling the narrative of the wars we fought, we justify the wars we are going to fight in the present.”

As we mark the 20th anniversary of the murderous U.S. invasion of Iraq, it’s imperative to reclaim the memory of this war not only from the Bush administration officials who waged it, but also from the corporate media system that helped sell it and has tried to control the narrative ever since.

Jeremy Earp is the production director of the Media Education Foundation (MEF) and the codirector, with Loretta Alper, of the MEF documentary “War Made

Presidents & Pundits

Us to Death,” featuring Norman Solomon.

Both laws bear Harris’ mark. For example, the two packages provide billions to replace diesel school buses with electric ones and an additional tax credit for purchases that counties and cities make on their own.

As a senator, Harris repeatedly sponsored bills to electrify the nation’s school buses. Similarly, she championed proposals to help recovery in lowincome communities that bear a disproportionate burden of pollution and climate disaster; the IRA includes $60 billion directed to help those places.

Harris’ role inside and outside Washington on environmental issues isn’t surprising.

When she moved on to be California’s attorney general, she fought to protect the state from fossil fuel interests, winning tens of millions in civil settlements and a criminal indictment against the pipeline company responsible for an oil spill off Santa Barbara, as well as suing the federal government to block fracking off the coast.

It’s a path others have been able to follow in the years since (Columbia University keeps a database of attorneys general’s environmental actions now).

It’s a concern that runs deep.

Like I did, Harris grew up in environmentally conscious northern California in a household deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She learned early that conservation was a good thing, so much so

CALL TO ACTION

The Biden-Harris administration has provided leadership. With Congress, they’ve given us the tools to clean up pollution, to boost communities’ resilience to climate related natural disasters like wildfires, and to create good jobs in clean manufacturing across the country in unprecedented ways.

Through the infrastructure and inflation reduction packages, the United States can spend more than double protecting Earth than we spent putting astronauts on the moon.

“I think we all understand we have to be solutions-driven. And the solutions are at hand,” Harris said at a climate summit earlier this month. “We need to make up for some lost time, no doubt. This is going to have an exponential impact on where we need to go.”

It’s time for the rest of us to pick up those tools and build. There are powerful interests that would be more than happy to let the inertia that allows people and places to be treated as disposable continue indefinitely. Our planet can’t afford that, and we have to marshal a movement to prevent it.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

End Minnesota’s felony murder law

By Keith Hapana Crow

Countless Minnesota citizens, including myself, have been swallowed up and incarcerated under a draconian law—Minnesota’s aiding and abetting [609.05] statute. The aiding and abetting law can be an extension of any law, including Minnesota’s felony murder statute, which essentially holds a person liable and responsible for the actions of another.

Currently, I am imprisoned under Minnesota law for aiding and abetting a first-degree murder conviction. The law demands a mandatory minimum sentence of life without the possibility of parole, with no sentencing discretion left to the judge.

Perhaps the judge who sentenced me would have sentenced me to some time in prison, but not life without parole. “My hands are tied,” were his exact words—he had to follow the Minnesota statute. It should be noted that the judge who oversaw the trial, and who would be best suited to adjudicate the sentence I should be given, was limited in his power.

One can imagine how effective the blanket, “catch all” sentencing guidelines are under Minnesota statute 609.05 for prosecutors. When a district attorney doesn’t have to prove who actually committed the crime, they can charge everyone in the hopes that intimidation and manipulation will turn co-defendants against one another.

In 2004, at the age of 22, my own personal experience with statute 609.05 began. Investigators, the district attorney, and the Minnesota attor-

ney general were unable to get me to cooperate and testify against my friends and family.

Today, I am a 40-year-old man who has spent nearly two decades in prison after being convicted of aiding and abetting the death of a man. The bottom line is, I never murdered anyone. Do I deserve a chance at freedom? Is this justice?

In 2019, one of my friends who was convicted in the case was paroled after the U.S. Supreme Court deemed sentencing juveniles to life without parole was unconstitutional. Still, I remain in prison without the possibility of parole, while another person convicted in the case died while in prison.

Along my journey I have never given up hope that I will

a mature, educated man, a brother, a son, and an uncle. I believe I deserve a second chance at freedom.

I am one of many men inside here who have gained maturity from experience. From great adversity comes even greater strength. I implore the powers that be to consider the repeal of the Minnesota aiding and abetting laws that affect many men incarcerated in Minnesota prisons.

I am not suggesting that those who are involved in a crime should not take accountability for their actions or walk free without any punishment, but rather receive a sentence that fits their role. Is 20 years in prison a sufficient price to pay for aiding and abetting felony murder? This fall will mark 19 years in prison for a crime in which the principal has been granted parole because sentencing a juvenile to life without parole was deemed unconstitutional.

be granted release, nor will I give up hope. Behind these prison walls and barbed wires fences, I continue preparing myself with tremendous ambition, skills and accomplishments for what I hope is my eventual release.

In my time here at Rush City, I have taken carpentry and paralegal courses, college studies, and taken up countless self-help programs. I have even published my first book, a memoir of my time here in prison. I am now an author,

I have tremendous potential to help my community once released with the tools and skills to succeed as a taxpaying citizen, as well as my brethren prisoners who have essentially grown up in prison. The aiding and abetting laws need revision.

Currently, there is legislation that would reform Minnesota’s felony murder laws. For more information, and to connect with advocates, contact the Felony Murder Law Reform Minnesota (#FMLR) through the organization’s website, fmlr.org.

There’s been virtually no accountability or sustained reporting in mainstream news media to remind us of their own decisive role in selling the Iraq war.

20 years after the

of Iraq, will the media’s complicity be ignored?

Keith Hapana Crow writes from the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Rush City.

“We need to makeup for some lost time, no doubt. This is going to have an exponential impact on where we need to go.”

I am one of many men inside here who have gained maturity from experience.

Puck

Continued from page 12

the coach of Miller, a twotime NCHC All-Academic selection who led the nation last season with four shorthanded goals. He plays on the Huskies’ No. 1 line.

Despite the success of the aforementioned Black hockey players, and their presence and influence, the sport’s diversity remains a goal.

“I’ve always been a big believer that representation matters,” said Hengler, who made this season’s WCHA All-Academic team for the fourth time and in two consecutive seasons scored Minnesota’s first goal. “Having three African American hockey players out there and [Canadian-born] Sophie

View

Continued from page 12

several Black head coaches with longer tenures than yours have been fired. Given the historically low number of Black non-HBCU basketball coaches, do you believe that the criticism you received this season was unfair or maybe would not have occurred if you weren’t Black?

Johnson: Honestly, I can’t worry about that. The only

Jenkins

Continued from page 7

She also acknowledges her debt to her mother who, according to Jenkins, “taught me the value of kindness, of hard work,” and to her grandmother, who told her about the virtue of “just having a little bit of property in your life, to ensure that you can overcome the challenges that light will bring.”

She pays it forward by mentoring a staff of young women of color as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans youth at the now-defunct drop-in center District 202.

Jenkins, a trans woman, has long believed she has always been a woman. “I was just assigned male at birth. It wasn’t a choice to be a trans woman,” said Jenkins. “The only choice I had in the matter was whether I would stay hidden from

Jaques at Ohio State, little girls [are] able to watch it on TV or listen to the radio, and see people of color play.”

“I feel it is growing every day,” said Miller of hockey’s diversity. “Having players like us Black people can look up to, [especially] young Black kids, to be role models for those guys. Hockey is a great sport.”

“We have a diverse locker room,” said Larson. “We have a player with Japanese heritage. We have Micah. The diversity in our locker room… I think it makes that locker room that much tighter, that much more special when guys from all different backgrounds come together for a common cause.”

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

thing I can control is how hard we work on a daily basis. Am I doing the best job I could to put us in a position to get better? I can’t weigh myself down. My main focus is on doing the best job I can.

MSR: Any final thoughts?

Johnson: The sky is not falling. We are gonna get there. We’re headed in the right direction.

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

myself or if I would share my beautiful self with the world.”

Even in a time when society is more accepting of trans people, particularly trans women, she still encounters some challenges. “I was challenged by what is known as trans exclusionary radical feminists, or lesbians who didn’t believe that transgender people still exist,” said Jenkins. “I was challenged by the prospect of losing my family, not having access to employment and health insurance, [and] by my friends in the gay community who didn’t believe me and my struggle.”

Nonetheless, she has a mantra for those who wish to follow in her footsteps. “Live your truth. Be yourself. And when you are authentic with yourself and those who you love, others will see and honor and respect that and will respond in time.”

Profile by contributing writer

H. Jiahong Pan

PreP

Continued from page 12

before moving on to Compass Prep, started for the Gophers.

Holloman, a 6’2” freshman guard from Cretin Derham Hall, saw time for Michigan State.

Thompson, a 6’8” senior forward from Robbinsdale Armstrong and a St. Louis Park alum,

Bridges

Continued from page 6

people who look like them, but the wages tend to be higher than if that person was working for a Whiteowned establishment.

“I’m a widow and I have four children. They’re all adults now, and I have two grandsons,” she added. “Everything that I have

Barlow

Continued from page 7

mixed-race identity and Black and Indigenous people,” she stated.

“But there’s so much embedded in the work talking about love, talking about belonging, talking about family, talking about relationships, the home, ancestry, and that idea of witnessing storytelling. That gaze is really important in our work—seeing and being seen. All these things are really human things.”

Barlow shared that earlier in her career, White audiences often told her they did not connect with her art, leaving her sometimes feeling “shaky” about her work.

done for myself in my career has been done by keeping family in mind. I think success for me cannot be measured in terms of monetary value or material things. It’s the joy of being with my family.”

Her advice to young women looking to follow in her footsteps: “Don’t do it like I do it. Do it in your own way.”

Profile by contributing writer

Angela

Rose Myers

“I got feedback that they really didn’t understand what I was trying to say and that they felt what I was trying to show wasn’t important. They couldn’t connect to the kinds of images I was sharing.”

Barlow didn’t remain daunted for long. A deep belief in what she was doing, fueled her. “I’m really persistent. ‘No’ is like my fuel. I’m definitely going to keep making this work.

“I belong here. They belong here. These are real stories of real people. And I hadn’t really seen very many images like the ones I wanted to share. I just felt like that wasn’t a good representation of what my world and our world was really like.”

Profile by contributing writer

Nadine Matthews

Continued from page 12

Gopher players to score 1,000 or more points and was the school’s all-time leading scorer until Shudlick and others passed her up. She still holds several school records.

I never saw Roberts play in high school or college, but the late Kwame McDonald did. Both of us were bothered that she has not been fully recognized for her hoopin’ career. He and I constantly beat the drums in the MSR, writing about this glaring oversight.

It took nearly two decades, until January 2006, before Roberts became the first Black female basketball player to have her jersey hoisted in the Williams Arena rafters. She gratefully thanked both McDonald and me.

After I introduced Roberts at the March 1, Minnesota Sports HOF ceremony, she made me promise to mention her gratitude once again in print. “Thank you Kwame McDonald and you for helping get my jersey retired. I appreciate that.”

Roberts’ cousin, Lisa Lissimore, added, “It is a pleasure for me to be in these spaces where Linda is rightfully recognized and honorably recognized. It shouldn’t

have had to take so long.”

Asked where her latest honor fits in her rich life, Roberts said, “This ranks as icing on the cake, because I’ve been inducted into several halls of fame, and I think this is the highest honor.”

Finally, with this milestone as with others in her life, Roberts can’t help but smile. “Just knowing where I came from, born and raised in St. Paul, and being able to represent St. Paul in the best way that I could.”

Charles

Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton.

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

Carol Ann Shudlick Courtesy of U of MN

Katie Smith Courtesy of Wikipedia

Tre Holloman Courtesy Michigan State U

Race Thompson Courtesy Indiana U Dain Dainja Photo courtesy U of Illinois represented Indiana University. Dainja, a 6’9” forward from Park Center, started for the University of Illinois. Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mcdeezy05@gmail.com

way herein to be taken, and to keep and have the exclusive control of the same, and to acquire a temporary easement in those cases which are herein particularly mentioned.

It is the intention of the above-named Petitioner to move the court for an order authorizing the Hennepin Court Administrator to accept and deposit, in an interest-bearing account, payment from the Petitioner to the court pursuant to Minn. Stat. §117.042.

Further, it is the intention of the above-named Petitioner to move the court for an order transferring title and possession of the parcels herein described, prior to the filing of an award by the court appointed commissioners, pursuant to Minn. Stat. §117.042.

The Petitioner reserves its right to recover costs of clean up and testing and all other damages arising from the presence of pollutants, contaminants, or hazardous materials on the property described herein, from all potential responsible parties, including respondents herein where appropriate, in a separate legal action to the extent permitted by law. III.

That the following described lands in these proceedings taken are situated in Hennepin County, Minnesota; that the names of all persons appearing of record or known to your Petitioner to be the owners of said

abuse or threats as defined in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter518B, you are not required to try mediation and you will not be penalized by the court in later pro-ceedings.

IF YOU VIOLATE ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS BY THE COURT.

Dated: February 7, 2023 Tanya West 3951 Queen Ave N Minneapolis. MN 55412 612-388-8248 tanyawest1211@gmail.com

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he college basketball landscape has drastically changed from when Ben Johnson was hired two seasons ago by Minnesota.

Johnson’s second year as head coach was a tough one, and the Gophers finished 14th, last in the Big Ten, which drew criticism from fans, media and others, despite the fact that when the Minneapolis native took over he had to virtually rebuild from scratch, playing youngsters who were green against veteran players in a veteran-laden conference.

The MSR spoke to Johnson shortly after the season ended two weeks ago. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity.

MSR: How did you handle the criticism that came your way, especially during the season’s final weeks?

Johnson: A lot of criticism is just very focused on what you do as a program. It naturally comes with the territory of coaching in college or professional sports.

MSR: Have you assessed Minnesota’s season yet?

Johnson: I’ve got kids that want to compete, want to get better more and more each day. I do think that we were

For Gopher men’s hoops, ‘the sky is not falling’

An interview with Coach Ben Johnson

playing better basketball at the end of the year. (The Gophers went 2-2 in March, including 1-1 in Big Ten tourney play.)

MSR: Briefly, talk about some of the freshmen you recruited from local high schools.

Johnson: I thought Pharell Payne (from Cottage Grove) was a guy that played a difficult position [at center], because in our league you’ve got older, more physical bodies. I thought he did a really good job of holding his own. I thought Braeden (Carrington of Brooklyn Park) did a good job battling back from injury and finishing strong. Joshua Ola-Joseph (Brooklyn Park) continued to grow and get better.

Former prep stars in Big Ten Men’s Tournament

to recruit at a high level and bring in guys…move the needle.

[Jamison Battle, Ta’Lon Cooper and Jalen Henley announced last week that they will go into the transfer portal.]

MSR: Speaking of the transfer portal, your thoughts on college basketball’s changing landscape

Johnson: We as coaches talk all the time [about] the new normal in college basketball. We’re all still trying to figure out this space. NIL [name, image and likeness] means something different to each kid and each family. [A top recruit, Dennis Evans from California asked out of the national letter of intent that he signed last November, reportedly because Minnesota is behind in the NIL craze.]

MSR: Your assessment on your second year as head coach?

MSR: What about the team’s overall growth?

Johnson: We definitely grew. I thought we really had a better understanding of how we needed to play this year to be competitive. I think our issue was we just couldn’t be as consistent as we needed to be at this level. But I was pleased

with that player development and player growth.

MSR: What off-season improvement will you be looking for?

Johnson: This will be the first

MN Hall of Fame

recognition slow to come for Black players

f the 10-person Minnesota

Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023, I covered two of them during their illustrious careers: Carol Ann Shudlick and Katie Smith.

Shudlick, now Shudlick-Smith, starred at Minnesota during my early years as a Gopher beat reporter (1990-94), and

played on the school’s first NCAA participation in 1994, her senior year. The Apple Valley native also won the Wade Trophy that season, given annually to the nation’s best women’s basketball player. She is the first and only trophy winner I have ever covered.

Besides finishing her Gopher career as the school’s all-time scorer (2,097), Shudlick remains among my favorite players to cover.

I didn’t get to know Smith when she lit it up for Ohio State (1992-96), but when she played for the Minnesota Lynx, I often said she was the best scorer hands-down in the building that the Lynx and their NBA arena mates shared.

After seven seasons, in which Smith was a first team WNBA All-Star (2001 and 2003), and 2001 league-scoring champion, she was traded to the then-Detroit Shock, where she won two league championships. Smith also won the only two American Basketball League (ABL) titles when she played for Columbus.

Like Shudlick, Smith—now the Lynx associate head coach—is also on my alltime list of nice players to speak with.

Unlike the two aforementioned players who tore up the Big Ten, Linda Roberts was a trailblazer doing her thing in the old AIAW as a Gopher (1977-81)—the Big Ten didn’t sanction women’s college basketball until 1982.

Roberts was a two-time Wade Trophy finalist and led Minnesota to two consecutive AIAW trips—the NCAA didn’t hold tournaments until 1982.

Roberts, the St. Paul native, also played in the first Minnesota High School League-sanctioned girls’ basketball tournament in 1976, for St. Paul Central, the state’s first girls’ high school champions. At Minnesota, she became the first of six Black, female

■ See SOE on page 9

offseason where you have more than two guys back from the previous year. We’ve got to take advantage and really develop our guys. We’ve got to continue

Johnson: I think overall, in every offseason, you look back and see what you could have done better. Is there a better way you could have put people in position to be successful offensively? You want to grow as a coach. I look forward to the offseason, to kind of pick [this past season] apart and see where we can grow as coaches.

MSR: Since season’s end,

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Diversity makes gains in hockey

By Charles Hallman Sports Columnist

nother overlooked historical milestone was achieved recently in college hockey. Last weekend in Duluth, three of the four Women’s Frozen Four teams featured Black players, and Sunday’s title game had Black players as well. At the same time, in St. Paul, two teams in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff each had a Black player on the ice in both the semifinals and finals.

Crystalyn Hengler from Eden Prairie came back for a sixth year at Minnesota, hoping to finally play on a national championship team. “It’s been a long time coming, with not making it because of COVID one year. So just not being able to make it in four years,” she said, was a prime reason for coming back this season.

Player of the Year.

St. Cloud State’s Micah Miller and Colorado College’s Kaidan Mbfreko faced each other in last Saturday’s NCHC finals, the only two Black players in the final four team field. Mbfreko, a freshman goalie, stood on his head for his fourth shutout of the season, with a 1-0 victory over Denver last Friday.

Miller, a fifth-year, 5’10” forward and graduate student from Grand Rapids, Minn., assisted on the team’s second goal in the 3-0 win last Saturday over Colorado College to win the NCHC Frozen Face-off and an NCAA bid. Miller played in the NCAA Frozen Four in 2020-21.

However, the Gophers lost in overtime to Wisconsin, where Laila Edwards scored a goal and her sister Chayla recorded a block. Ohio State’s Sophie Jaques helped lead her team to last Sunday’s finals. The 5th year player from Toronto led the Buckeyes in scoring (24 goals), and all U.S. college defensemen in goals and points, and also led the nation with nine power-play goals this season.

She won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the nation’s best women’s hockey player last Saturday. Jaques earlier this season was named both 2022-23 WCHA Defender and

In game one of the best-of-three quarterfinals against Minnesota Duluth, Miller provided the offensive spark in the win with his first career multigoal performance. “It has been a great year,” Miller told us.

“This kid means the world to this program,” noted St. Cloud State Coach Brett Larson. “I’ve been here five years and he’s been here all five. He’s a leader on and off the ice. We count on him every day to lead the right way, and he does.

“[I’m] gonna miss that guy,” admitted

Former Twin Cities metro area prep boys’ basketball stars Jamison Battle, Pharrel Payne, Braeden Carrington, Dawson Garcia, Joshua Ola-Joseph, Tre Holloman, Race Thompson, and Dain Dainja all made their presence felt in the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament held in Chicago a couple of weeks ago.

Battle, a 6’7” junior guard from DeLaSalle who is now in the transfer portal, provided clutch play for the University of Minnesota.

Payne, a 6’9” freshman and Park Cottage Grove alum, represented the Gophers from the forward position.

Former Park Center standout Carrington, a 6’4” guard, also contributed to the Gophers’ efforts.

Garcia, a 6’11” sophomore from Prior Lake, was also in uniform for Minnesota as a starter.

Ola-Joseph, a 6’7” freshman forward who played at Osseo ■ See Prep on page 9

Braeden Carrington Courtesy U of MN

Jamison Battle Courtesy U of MN

Dawson Garcia Courtesy U of MN

Pharrel Payne Courtesy U of MN

Joshua Ola-Joseph Courtesy U of MN

“The criticism naturally comes with the territory of coaching in college or professional sports.”

Ben Johnson Courtesy of U of MN

“I feel hockey’s diversity is growing every day. Having players like us Black people can look up to.”

Micah Miller Courtesy of SCSU

Crystalyn Hengler

Photo by Charles Hallman

“This ranks as icing on the cake.”

Linda Roberts

Photo by Charles Hallman