July 9, 2020 - MN Spokesman-Recorder

THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934

July 9-15, 2020 Vol. 86 No. 49

85Anniversary

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1934 - 20 19

“AS IT WAS SPOKEN ... LET US RECORD.”

‘We eat pain like Skittles’

Word

MSR virtual town hall explores Black trauma

on the

Street

What’s in store for Cup Foods? town hall on pain and healing in the Black community. “It’s “There is no PTSD [Post Trau- been trauma after trauma after matic Stress Disorder] for Black trauma.”

Lewis called on viewers to folks because there has been no post,” said self-care expert Dr. Joi acknowledge that this acrossLewis in a recent MSR virtual the-board trauma started with

By MSR News Service

slavery and has been going on a pandemic within a pandemic. ever since to create present-day This is glaringly true in Minnesota, where research consistently systemic racism and inequities.

News reports and research shows that African Americans show what Black communities face the country’s highest dishave long known: COVID-19 parity rates in health, economics, and civil unrest have exposed education and more.

■See TOWN HALL on page 5

Hennepin County declares racism a public health crisis Commissioner Conley talks about purging government of systemic racism The resolution was introduced on Juneteenth and approved Hennepin County Commis- by a final vote of the Hennepin sioner Angela Conley took to County Board on June 30.

The resolution cites health Facebook on Juneteenth to announce that she and Commis- scholars and states that HenBy MSR News Service

“Every facet of the work that we do at Hennepin County will be screened through an anti-racist lens with the ultimate goal of eliminating racial disparities in our work.”

relevant policies "that improve health in Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color." Similar resolutions have already been introduced in 11 other counties across the nation, including Milwaukee (WI), Kalamazoo (MI), Dallas (TX), and several others.

In 2018, Conley and Fernando shook up the Hennepin County Board's status quo.

Conley, who defeated longtime incumbent Peter McLaughlin to represent District 4 in South Minneapolis, became the first African American elected to Angela Conley Courtesy of Hennepin County serve on the board. Fernando, of Filipino descent, also made hissioner Irene Fernando planned nepin County—home to some tory as one of the county’s first to introduce a resolution declar- of the starkest racial disparities two commissioners of color. She ing racism a public health crisis. in the nation—will advocate for represents District 2.

The MSR spoke with Commissioner Conley (AC) prior to the introduction of the resolution on Tuesday. An excerpt of that conversation appears below.

MSR: How did this resolution come about, and why now?

AC: There have been quite a number of counties across the country—we're up to about a dozen now—who have been declaring racism a public health crisis in their respective counties.

In fact, the first county, I believe Milwaukee County, actually declared last year.

Hennepin County is the 32nd largest county in the country, and we have a 1.2 millionperson population. Yet we have been seeing very little results in

Opinions differ on the future of the George Floyd memorial site and surrounding area at 38th Street and Chicago Ave. where Floyd was killed May 25 under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. A prominent feature at the site is Cup Foods, the longstanding corner store that has become forever linked to this tragic story. The MSR took to the street recently to ask community members what they think about Cup Foods in light of what’s happened there.

boycott everything that’s not for us or by us.

Once we understand [that] we are the people with the buying power, we can change any community —Niki B.

—Nathaniel

It’s not really Cup Foods fault ‘cause the person [who called the police on George Floyd over a sus pected forged $20 bill] was doing their job. The police shouldn’t not have been called. The policeman is the Cup Foods has been issue, not Cup Foods.

Maybe if Cup hadn’ around for a long time and this community made them. called the police this inc I’m not so concerned about dent may not have hap Cup, but more about us. pened…

Just like we made them, we —Zack King need to make us. Stop relying on the people outside the community and rely on each other.

I grew up on the South Side. We as a people help make any business successful. We don’t need to worry about shutting down Cup ‘cause our buying power will shut them down. Any business that is not giving back to the community, we I was raised in this neigh shouldn’t be spending our money there. We should borhood. Cup has always

■See WORD ON THE STREET on pag

■See HENNEPIN on page 5

Leaders discourage any rush to judgment on police reform Community engagement called ‘the smart way’ to move ahead last month approved a proposal to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and replace it with a community-led This story continues MSR’s public safety department. They coverage of the online “We Good” want city voters to weigh in on forums sponsored by the African the proposal in the November general election by agreeing to American Leadership Forum. amend the City Charter.

“Defund,” “Dismantle” and “End the MPD” are among the oft-heard cries from police reform proponents. A police reform report released in June by Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) included a lengthy list of recommendations such as community input on police contracts, mandatory psychological testing for police, and an independent agency to Nekima Levy Armstrong handle police misconduct cases.

Photo courtesy Twitter The Minneapolis City Council

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

By Charles Hallman Contributing writer

The Minneapolis Charter Commission is meeting this week on the proposal. Some, including community folk and

commission members, are c cerned that things might going too fast, since there is August 21 deadline for the c

“Timing is everything. We have to use this moment to ask the community what they want.”

Andrea Jenkins

council’s proposal to be on t ballot. The commission has l than 40 days to either appro the amendment, propose a n one, reject it, or ask for a 90-d extension.

The city council doesn’t ha to abide by the commissio decision, but they can’t move ward until the group’s review completed.

MSR file photo

■See AALF on page

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July 9-15, 2020

Senior living facility found to have discriminated against Black worker

Settlement includes lost wages and damages

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) announced June 30 a settlement agreement with a senior living facility, Edgewood Sartell, that violated Minnesota’s civil rights law by discriminating against Jameisha Cox, a personal care assistant, because of her race.

“Being belittled on a daily

and Indigenous communities can thrive by enforcing civil rights law, ending racist practices, and undoing systems that perpetuate racial disparities.”

Racial discrimination in employment is consistently one of the largest areas of complaints the MDHR receives.

Workplace discrimination is

The resident made racist and derogatory comments about Cox’s race, skin and hair. basis because of race is sad a reality for Black people,” said Jameisha Cox. “I was blatantly ignored when I raised concerns about being racially harassed. I was ignored again when I was fired because of my race.

“All I wanted was my job back and nobody cared at all.

Now my former employer is being held responsible and has to change their policies so what happened to me doesn’t happen for the next Black person.”

“Jameisha Cox’s case lays bare yet another example of anti-Black racism,” said MDHR Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. “As Minnesota’s civil rights enforcement agency, we continue to work every day to build a state where communities of color

one of the many reasons why Minnesota is home to some of the worst racial disparities in the country. The gap between Black and White families' incomes in Minnesota is the third worst in the nation, according to the American Community Survey.

The case Throughout her employment as a personal care assistant at Edgewood Sartell, the senior living facility assigned Jameisha Cox, a Black woman, to work with a resident who racially harassed her. The resident made racist and derogatory comments about Cox’s race, skin and hair. The resident shouted racial epithets at Cox and attempted to rip off Cox’s headscarf.

When Cox and other em-

ployees reported the racial harassment to Cox’s supervisor, the supervisor did nothing.

Cox’s supervisor also repeatedly denied Cox’s requests to work with a different resident.

In addition to permitting the racial harassment to occur, the senior living facility fired Cox because of her race. Edgewood Sartell falsely claimed that Cox failed to report to work, when in fact she followed the company’s protocol. Cox requested and her supervisor approved time-off because she was waiting for her next paycheck in order to repair her car that she used to get to work. Edgewood Sartell did not fire white employees who had significant attendance issues.

The senior living facility’s executive director never responded to Cox’s complaint in response to her termination.

On November 18, 2018, Cox filed a charge of discrimination with the MDHR alleging racial discrimination. Minnesota has one of the strongest civil rights laws in the country, the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in employment.

On December 31, 2019, the MDHR determined that Edgewood Sartell violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act when the senior living facility discriminated against Cox

Edgewood Sartell

Edgewood Healthcare.com

• Inform all employees of when it failed to address the racial harassment by the resi- the updated policies; and • Provide one hour of dent and when it fired Cox beanti-discrimination and anticause of her race. harassment training to all non-supervisory and nonTerms of the settlement To address and prevent managerial employees, profuture racial discrimination vide 1.5 hours of anti-discrimfrom occurring, the settlement ination and anti-harassment requires Edgewood Sartell to: to all of its managers and • Amend discrimination supervisors, and provide one and harassment policies to hour of bias training to all of make clear the policies apply its employees.

The settlement agreement to harassing and discriminatory conduct by employees, also requires Edgewood Sarresidents, guests, visitors, tell to pay Cox for lost wages and damages. vendors and contractors;

—Information provided b MDHR. The Minnesota Depar ment of Human Rights is th state's civil rights enforcemen agency. If you have experience or witnessed an incident of d crimination or bias, call the D crimination Helpline at 1-83 454-0148.

Deadline to apply for food benefits extended Eligible families have until July 31 to request additional food benefits

Families still have time to apply for additional food assistance benefits to help feed their children this summer when they are not receiving school lunches. Due to a deadline extension, up to 150,000 families have until July 31 to apply for Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer, also referred to as P-EBT. The benefits are issued by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MDHS) in a lump sum of $325 per child to purchase food within a year of the date issued.

More than 200,000 families have already applied for or received P-EBT. Minnesota has also extended P-EBT to provide an additional food benefit through the summer. With Summer P-EBT, each eligible child will receive an additional $100 food benefit.

Eligibility follows P-EBT

DHS and the state Department of Education are urging families with school children who received the federal free and reduced-price meal program to apply for P-EBT online at www.mn.p-ebt.org.

who were not also receiving SNAP or MFIP benefits need to sign up for a benefits card, known as a P-EBT card, to receive P-EBT and Summer P-EBT funds.

Also new for July, children enrolled in a school district pre-K program who received federal free and reducedprice meals will be eligible to receive P-EBT benefits by applying online at ww.mn.pebt.org.

Individuals in need of translation assistance can call the DHS P-EBT hotline at either 651-431-4050 or 800657-3698, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. InQualifying families with formation also can be found children receiving free or re- online in P-EBT frequently duced-price meals who were asked questions and in a sealready on the Supplemental ries of fliers in Somali, RusNutrition Assistance Pro- sian, Spanish and Hmong gram (SNAP) or Minnesota posted online. The applicaFamily Investment Program tion is available in these lan(MFIP) received these bene- guages as well.

Courtesy dhs.dc.gov/p-ebt retailers approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for SNAP purchases available in Minnesota at this time, DHS is encouraging other retailers to seek approval from the USDA so that SNAP recipients have more options to buy food safely.

Courtesy Pixabay guidelines. Those who have applied will receive the benefit automatically; those who have not can apply for P-EBT online. The department will issue the summer program

fits automatically on their existing EBT cards in late May. Families can check their EBT card balance at ebtedge.com.

Families who were receiving free or reduced meals for

In addition to using EBT cards at traditional grocery retailers, people who use SNAP can use their EBT cards to purchase groceries online. While Walmart and

Families in need of additional assistance accessing healthy foods are urged to contact their county or tribal human services office or the Minnesota Food Helpline at 888-711-1151 or www.hungersolutions.org.

Information provided by MDHS.

Paid for by Les Lester for Congress

Together We Can Win!

5th Congressional District

July 9-15, 2020

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Parents: Protect your children from sun overexposure!

With Father’s Day just behind us, dermatologists are giving parents two thumbs up for keeping sun protection top of mind for their families.

According to a new survey from the American Academy of Dermatology, 74% of parents today say they worry about sun protection more with their children than their parents did with them. Ninety percent of parents believe it’s important to teach their children healthy habits now so they will keep them when they are adults.

More parents today are aware of the risks associated with sun exposure and recognize the importance of protecting their children from the sun. The increased awareness could stem from increased knowledge about skin cancer prevention and sun protection, signaling that public education on these topics might be paying off.

For example, according to the survey, most Americans report knowing that it’s possible to get sunburnt on a cloudy day; that sunscreen has an expiration date; and that people with dark skin tones can get skin cancer too.

Sharman Dudley, a mother of two, knows first-hand how

critical it is to practice safe sun, both for herself and her family. Diagnosed with melanoma four times, Dudley says she’s grateful her skin cancers were detected early, when they were most treatable. This experience makes her particularly mindful of her kids’ skin health now as well.

“While we still enjoy the outdoors, having melanoma has changed the way I plan our activities outdoors, like making sure to find or create shade during periods of peak sunlight,” she says. “We also don’t leave our house without wearing sunscreen and bringing wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses with UV protection, and lightweight and long-sleeved shirts that we can throw on when needed.”

Sunscreen isn’t the only way for busy parents to shield their kids from the sun, but rather one component of a comprehensive sun protection plan. Additional steps parents can take to keep their children safe while outdoors include: Seek shade, particularly between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm, when the sun’s rays are the strongest. Shade

is the best way to protect children from the sun, especially if they are younger than six months old. Keep your children in the shade as much as possible, and if you can’t find shade, create your own using an umbrella, canopy or the hood of a stroller.

Dress kids in sun-protective clothing, such as a lightweight and long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection, when possible.

Avoid sunscreen use on children younger than six months old. Keep infants in the shade, and protect their skin using sun-protective clothing, including hats that shade the neck and ears.

If shade and adequate clothing are not available, apply sunscreen to all skin not covered by clothing to children older than six months old. Use a broadspectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Sunscreens containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide are less likely to irritate a child’s sensitive skin. Remember to reapply every two hours or immediately after

Courtesy MGN swimming or sweating, as and do not get overheated.

Although most parents there is no such thing as “waprioritize sun protection for terproof” sunscreen. their kids, this doesn’t alWear sun-protective swim- ways translate to protecting wear, and use extra caution themselves from the sun. Acnear water and sand, as they cording to the survey, 40% of reflect the damaging rays of survey respondents reported the sun, which can increase that they’ve applied sunscreen to their kids but didn’t the chance of sunburn. apply it to themselves.

Sun protection is imporStay safe on hot days. In addition to sun protection, tant at every stage of life, keep your family safe on hot from childhood to adulthood. days by making sure your Always protect yourself and kids drink plenty of fluids your family from the sun and

see a board-certified dermatologist if you have any questions about how to use sun protection and other ways to prevent skin cancer.

To learn more about skin cancer prevention and detection, visit SpotSkinCancer.org. To find a board-certified dermatologist in your area, visit aad.org/ findaderm.

Information provided by the American Academy of Dermatology.

Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program now taking applications

It serves Minnesotans in need of urgent or continuing access to affordable insulin nesotans in urgent need of insulin (less than a seven-day The Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program launched, supply on hand) to access the July 1, 2020, allowing Min- life-saving drug through their

pharmacy. The program—implemented by MNsure, the state’s health insurance marketplace, and the Minnesota

Board of Pharmacy—was created to help Minnesotans facing difficulty affording their insulin.

The Insulin Safety Net Program is made up of two parts: 1) The urgent need program for eligible Minnesotans to receive a once-per-year 30-day supply of insulin im-

nesotan should have to ration their insulin. Get help at MNinsulin.org today."

"Access to affordable insulin is vital to Minnesotans who need it to manage diabetes.

Nobody’s health should be in jeopardy because they have to ration or go without this lifesustaining medication," said

How to apply • Go to MNinsulin.org to print the application. Bring the completed application to your local pharmacy. All pharmacies in Minnesota must participate.

• If you are unable to print the application, ask your

Courtesy MGN mediately at their pharmacy for no more than a $35 copay; and 2) The continuing need program for eligible Minnesotans to receive up to a one-year supply of insulin for no more than $50 per 90-day refill.

Interested individuals should visit MNinsulin.org to see if they qualify and learn how to apply.

"If you live in Minnesota and can’t afford your insulin, come to MNinsulin.org to see if you qualify for the Insulin Safety Net Program," said CEO Nate Clark. "On MNinsulin.org, you can find details about the urgent need program and instructions on how to apply. You can also get help accessing affordable insulin year-round.

“MNsure has nearly 200 certified navigators located across the state,” said Clark, “who have been trained to help Minnesotans access affordable insulin through existing insulin manufacturer assistance programs. No Min-

Cody Wiberg, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy. "Visit the Board of Pharmacy website to learn more about the Board of Pharmacy’s role in the Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program and find information about obtaining other medications at lower costs.”

pharmacist to provide you with an “urgent need insulin application” to complete at the pharmacy.

Need help accessing affordable insulin yearround?

If you have an ongoing need for affordable insulin, contact a trained MNsure Who qualifies? navigator for free help applyThose eligible for the ur- ing for the continuing need gent need program must: program through an insulin • live in Minnesota manufacturer’s patient assis• have an urgent need for tance program. Go to MNininsulin sulin.org to search for a navi• have a current prescrip- gator in your area. tion for insulin • pay more than $75 each Information provided by MNmonth for their insulin pre- sure and the MN Board of Pharscription macy. MNsure is Minnesota's • not be enrolled in Medi- health insurance marketplace cal Assistance or Minneso- where individuals and families taCare can shop, compare and choose • present a valid Minne- health insurance coverage that sota ID card, driver’s license meets their needs. The Minneor permit, or tribal-issued ID sota Board of Pharmacy is the to the pharmacy. For children state agency that regulates the under age 18, a parent or legal practice of pharmacy and the guardian must provide the manufacture and distribution of pharmacy with their proof of prescription drugs. residency

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July 9-15, 2020

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) welcomes and values commentary and feedback from the community. The articles found here are edited for clarity and/or space, but the opinions are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of the MSR.

Fighting for Black health

By Jewelean Jackson The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that when it comes to health, Black people account for a disproportionate number of cases. Too often, we bear the brunt of dying on the front lines for America. As the first Black woman elected as board chair for the University of Minnesota Community-University Health Care Center, I am uniquely positioned in the healthcare world.

This is my ninth year as board member director. I lead the charge for governing from the board’s perspective and am a patient representative first and foremost.

Black women in leadership roles are routinely questioned, and yet, we pave the way for so many others to follow. Being in the medical field, which is dominated by White men, I walk into meetings where I am the only person of color.

I get looks of, why are you here? No matter the discomfort, I find my seat at the table.

I am often a cultural broker between the communities I serve and the people who sit around those tables. I have to navigate the streets and the suites and frequently encounter friction from both sides.

For Black communities, a history of medical distrust has led to strained relations with healthcare providers.

People still remember Tuske-

gee, the medical apartheid and the use of slave labor, and as recently as the 60s for medical research. As a result, many people postpone treatment until emergency care is needed. I have to teach people that the emergency room is not their primary source of health care. Earlier interventions are needed for preventative health measures. It’s an uphill battle.

and this includes health care and health professions. At the same time, we have to remember not to forget the folks coming behind us.

We stand on the backs of our ancestors. I have spent the bulk of my life volunteering and giving to my community.

There have been many days where it felt like, it amounts to little in the face of overwhelming obstacles, still, I’ve

The most important lesson is this: One’s health is the most valuable asset we have. It’s in our best interest to take care of ourselves Part of addressing this historic distrust is that we need more young Black people in healthcare professions, and we can do this through education. Young people bring back what they have learned to their families and communities.

The most important lesson is this: One's health is the most valuable asset we have.

It’s in our best interest to take care of ourselves. Community-University Health Care Center is a model for letting patients be in the driver’s seat. We also bring in interns of color and prepare them for medical careers. Something that I tell my scholars is to put things in place for the future,

stayed the course. At some point, we've got to stick our big toe in the pond of trust.

Change is coming. I realize I may not be around to see it, but does that mean I work any less hard? No. I’m planting seeds that will bear fruit.

Jewelean Jackson, Community-University Health Care Center board chair The thoughts reflected in this piece are the authors’ individual, expert opinions as a Black Minnesota resident.

Letter to the Editor

Police, military, it’s all the same Letting Joe Biden take a mulligan for attacking Iraq is part of the same structural racism that got George Floyd murdered. What else gives privileged Whites in Washington the freedom to attack defenseless Arabs who were not attacking anyone? Certainly not “war.”

If Blacks, Muslims, Native Americans or Latinos started a “war,” they would pay dearly, probably with their lives or their freedom. But White man Joe Biden helps Bush and Cheney start a “war” on Iraq, and he’s a free man who doesn’t have to worry about looking over his shoulder to

see if a missile-carrying drone is stalking him. No, he’s free, safe, and running for president. Classic White Supremacy.

How does this work, Biden supporters? Biden and the rest of them held their knees to the necks of the citizens of Iraq and did not release until half a million were killed.

Iraqis died in the same manner that George Floyd died— they were murdered. They did nothing wrong but were brutalized.

How can anyone say, “Abolish the police” without including the military? They are one and the same.

Biden supporters conveniently believe that any stupid crackpot reason can get Biden the freedom to attack and kill Iraqis as long as conventional “warfare” is used to do the killing.

Biden supporters conveniently believe “war” can be nothing more than armed conflict. This would be true if we were animals. No one gets a free pass to murder people— not Minneapolis police and not Joe Biden.

Frank Erickson Minneapolis

Letter to the Editor

The lies they tell: COVID inside our prisons What has our government really done to prevent the spread of this deadly pandemic in America’s prison system?

Currently, the nation’s top five COVID-19 hot spots are all correctional facilities, according to data collected by The Times. The number of infected inmates and workers has topped 70,000—the count doubled between mid-May and mid-June—and there have been at least 627 virus-related deaths.

A Minnesota prison inmate has died after testing positive for COVID-19 in early June.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections said Adrian Raymaar Keys, 43, died Tuesday night at a hospital. Keys was an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Faribault and tested positive for COVID-19 along with a number of other men incarcerated at Faribault on June 4 So, the question arises,

what are we really doing to help and prevent the spread of this deadly disease to the human beings who are incarcerated in our prisons? These are the same prisons that the families of these inmates pay hardearned tax dollars to provide for the safety and wellbeing of their loved ones. The situation inside the nation’s jails and prisons amid the COVID-19 pandemic has become the stuff of nightmares.

Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, shortages of protective equipment, and restrictions on hygiene products such as hand sanitizer have turned detention facilities into a playground for the virus and a death trap for inmates, many of them, because of age or preexisting conditions, at elevated risk for complications.

This is a profoundly serious problem that cannot be overlooked. The testing and care for inmates and work-

ers is complicating the spread of the coronavirus. In interviews, prison and jail officials acknowledged that their approach has largely been based on trial and error, and that an effective, consistent response for U.S. correctional facilities remains elusive.

There is fear among inmates who say the authorities have done too little to protect them.

There have been riots and hunger strikes in prisons from Washington State to New York.

Even the known case numbers are most likely a significant undercount because testing has been extremely limited inside prisons and because some places that test do not release the results to the public.

WHAT ARE THE REAL NUMBERS? No one really knows, but it has definitely become a secret of lies and deceit!

Anthony Goodshield Bloomington, MN

The magnanimity of the moment Learning from our past in today’s fight for racial justice

By Jason Green

The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many other Black bodies have answered Langston Hughes’ prophetic question: “What happens to a dream deferred?” As justified anger and frustration have exploded across communities large and small, I have quietly questioned whether there is room for community building.

I thought for a moment that our collective hurt and fatigue might be so great that there simply might not be space for hope and reconciliation. The idea of searching for fellowship felt naïve and insignificant.

Seven years ago, as I sat at the bedside of my then 95-year-old grandmother, she told me how, in 1968, her all-Black church merged with two all-White congregations (themselves split generations earlier over the issue of slavery) in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Given the tumultuous backdrop, I was surprised by their decision to join, but I will be forever moved by the intentional community building that has kept their congregation together for more than 50 years. The hardest decision wasn’t the one to come together, it was the decision to stay together.

Last week, on our weekly call, my Grandmother Green reawakened my spirit. “We have to keep working and praying and not give up,” she extolled. “Even if things are not going our way we have to have that faith, and do the work.

It was important that they see my face in the choir in 1968. Well, it’s just as important today.” She helped me realize in times like these, we need to be reminded of what is possible and to be vigilant about the hard work required to achieve it.

I’ve spent years chronicling how those three congregations came together in 1968 and how they have persisted, purposefully integrated, for more than 50 years. Below are three lessons I’ve learned from that experience that can inform how we collectively move forward today: • Establish A Clear Goal: As they stumbled through the early days of the church merger, leadership of each congregation gathered to agree to the goal of coming together. A specific shared outcome gave them something

to hold tight to when the path got difficult. As individual groups began working toward their own agenda, it armed the broader coalition with a mission to pull them back to.

In this moment, people have begun working in different directions to speak out against and organize in support of racial justice. There is not one way to do the work—in fact, there must be a multitude of strategies, activities, and actors.

To be successful, we must define the objective to hold others accountable to if their efforts achieve progress toward that shared goal, not question if their strategies happen to be similar or different to our own.

• Trust Must Be Built. When the churches merged, each harbored fear, skepticism, and animosity. There wasn’t the hugging and hand-holding you’d expect in church. To overcome, they had to be intentional; this started with acknowledging the pain of their history and being deliberate about difficult conversations.

No meeting would end if someone still had something to say. Leadership demanded people share their concerns and complaints, though sometimes harsh, and those concerns were addressed.

The work that faces us now is deep and structural and must push beyond performance. It will require addressing a history of hurt and creating alliances, with both traditional and non-traditional allies, to meet the magnanimity of the moment. At times, it will require taking the first step, even when you took the first step last time, and recognizing that sometimes, alliances will fray. Work to build trust anyway.

• Be Prepared To Go Alone.

For those in the movement, this moment feels like a turning point, and there’s a desire to draw a line in the sand. “If you aren’t with us now, then you are against us.”

But the reality is there will be folks who, even in this moment, will not be prepared to take action.

Because we know that for something to be truly gained, something must be given up, there will be those who aren’t prepared for what change will mean for them. In 1968, my grandfather disagreed with the proposed church merger. My grandmother, my father, and his brother, decided to merge, despite Grandpa’s objection.

We must be prepared to do the work, knowing that it is

rooted in righteousness, and that there will be some who are not ready for change, even amongst those whom we love and respect.

Move forward anyway, but resist the temptation to draw terminal lines in the sand.

Continue to build bridges for others to come on the journey. My grandfather joined the merged congregation years later.

Before he died, he was one of its trustees.

Like the church merger, our democracy is one big social experiment that requires engagement and vigilance if it will ever reach its promise. Elections have consequences, and policy has impact. To see change, we must be active at the federal, state, and local levels to enable leadership that aligns with our values and implements policies that reflect the communities we represent.

But elections cannot eradicate racism, and policy cannot force neighbors to see each other with dignity, value and respect. This moment does not call for an “either or” approach; this must be a “yes and” strategy.

And, if we want to eradicate the poison that killed George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice and every other individual lost due to racist acts, then in addition to external activation, we must look inward to understand what each of us is prepared to do, give, and change in this moment.

Last week, my grandmother turned 102, and as we discussed plans for her socially distanced drive-by birthday parade, we also talked about the current state of the world. I expressed frustration regarding the lack of national leadership and exhaustion that this is where we find ourselves.

In true Grandma Green fashion, she said, “I hear all that, but what are you gonna do? What are you prepared to do for those who look like you and those who don’t? For those who don’t pray like you? For those who don’t love like you? What are you gonna do to inspire fellowship and build the community that we all want to see?”

I guess I know what to give for her birthday this year. Join me in making change. Across the country. And in ourselves.

Jason Green is a Maryland-based attorney, entrepreneur and filmmaker.

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Anonymous letters will not be printed. A telephone number or email address must be included for verification. Letters of 250 words or less are more likely to be published. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length.

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July 9-15, 2020

HENNEPIN Continued from page 1 terms of the acknowledgment that systemic racism is something that is embedded within all of Hennepin County’s core functions.

You aren't able to work on a problem or work towards a solution if you can't even name what the problem is. So, in the last year...there's a number of things that the County has initiated in terms of disparity reduction.

But not one time have we said that systemic racism is a problem in our County, and we need to shift our focus from just disparity reduction to anti-racism and eliminating racist work. Just coming up with this resolution became more urgent, of course, after the murder of George Floyd.

But really we’re just putting up this long-overdue mirror to our own County and saying, "Look at yourself. You're a part of the racism and discrimination and the bias that Black people have to live with every single day."

MSR: How would the resolution help alleviate systemic racism? Or is it more of a symbolic measure?

AC: No, it's only symbolic in that Hennepin County has never done it before. I wouldn't want to sign on to anything that was lip service or anything that is attacking racism with no actual steps to improve anything.

What the resolution is doing is, it's telling our administrator that within a few weeks, we want an implementation plan of about 20 different things that involve eliminating racism internally, externally, and even within partners

TowN HALL Continued from page 1 The ongoing barrage of viral videos of colloquial “Karens” and police brutality only add fuel to the fires of pain and protest following the police killing of George Floyd in late May. Dr. Brandon Jones, a psychotherapist, and Catrice Jackson, a licensed mental health practitioner and professional counselor, joined Lewis on the panel moderated by Stephenetta Harmon, founder of Sadiaa Black Beauty Guide and former MSR editor, to share their insights on Black trauma.

Jones, integrated services manager at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, said medical terminology has not yet been created to diagnose the Black experience. “There is no condition for what we are dealing with,” he said. “We came from enslaved Africans to become slaves in this

AALF Continued from page 1 “Abolish the police is a long process,” declared City Council Vice-President Andrea Jenkins during the July 1 African American Leadership Forum (AALF) virtual panel discussion. She was among the majority of council members who voted for the MPD dismantle proposal.

“This is not a Minneapolis problem,” Jenkins added, “but with police throughout the country. We need to make systemic change in the way we do public safety in our communities.”

Local attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong pointed out, “People have known for a long time that we needed [police] reform. I’ve been on this for 15 years, and plenty of people have been doing this for longer than I have.”

She believes that things may well be going too fast. “I am not in support of what is happening right now,” saying that more community engagement

that we contract with.

So, at the root of it, it's reshaping our work, one. Two, holding our own self accountable, which we have not done. And three, acknowledging going forward that every facet of the work that we do at Hennepin County will be screened through an anti-racist lens with the ultimate goal of eliminating racial disparities in our work. This is something that we just have not ever been able to do since Hennepin County became a county 168 years ago.

The symbolism comes in that now it's time to recognize [racism]. You’ve got all these different social determinants of health.

You've got all of these statistics that show our mortality rates are higher. Blood pressures are higher. Our food insecurity is higher.

Our income is lower. So many scholars are out there saying that constant discrimination and racism is at the root of some of these determinants of health.

Hennepin County is home to one of the worst places for Black people to live in the nation. And we have to be honest with ourselves and say, well, the reasons are based out of systemic racism that just runs through our government.

the community? And there was none; there were no community feedback sessions, no community listening sessions, nothing.

So the Race Equity Advisory Council is that community voice to help us solve race inequity.

They absolutely have to be a part of any work to dismantle racism within Hennepin County.

munity needs a thing, let me use my access and the privilege that I have now to get that thing.

MSR: In our interview prior to your election, you stressed the need for a greater understanding of the severity of homelessness.

What are your thoughts about homeless people being allowed to shelter in Minneapolis parks?

AC: We continue to see these numbers grow. The number of people who are living outside is doubling and tripling every year. And it's mostly Black and Indigenous people who are living outside and don't have access to housing, clean toilets, clean showers, basic human needs.

I've sat on a region-wide group for the last year on unsheltered homelessness, and one of the most frustrating things to me was the lack of funding invested to get people from the street into supportive housing.

Now what we've been doing since COVID, what Hennepin County's been doing, is we have purchased rooms at hotels. But we're almost at capacity right now…

We've been really trying to get the State to help us get money to get people out of the park. There are tents in almost every park on the South Side now. We've got to get the State to help us fund staffing. We could open up more hotel rooms to people, but we don't have enough staff. It's really frustrating.

MSR: How does the Race Equity Advisory Council that you established last year come into play regarding the resolution?

AC: We’ll appoint our representative for the Race Equity Council from each of our districts.

The council was developed to be a community voice into the disparity reduction work happening at the County. One of the first questions I asked as commissioner when it came to disparity reduction was where's the voice of

MSR: You’re two years into your time in office now, and prior to this, you had never run for office. What has surprised you since your historic election in 2018?

AC: I would say the access, you know. It's a privilege to come from a place where I've always been an activist. I've always been an advocate; I'm a social worker, so I know what it's like to hold my elected officials accountable and protest in front of their offices when needed.

It's remarkable the amount of access that I have and the platform that I have been given by the voters, because not everybody can pick up their cell phone and call the mayor in the middle of the night when there's a fire at a homeless hotel, right?

Not everybody can text their senator and get a response in five minutes about an important issue. Not everybody's going to get media requests, right? I was recently on CNN and I have never been on CNN before, but it was a chance for me to really speak truth to power about how the murder of George Floyd had changed the landscape in Minneapolis.

I was really surprised that immediately I had been given this huge platform and huge access that I can use now for people who don't have it. If the com-

world, and we have been an admixture ever since. We are literally a GMO [genetically modified organism] people.”

Jackson offered up her own language to help viewers better understand the oppression, using “White terrorism” to describe White Supremacy. “There is nothing supreme about what White folks have done and what they are currently doing right now” to Black folks, she said.

She added that naming trauma can also help communities process pain. “If you can’t put your finger on the pain, you can’t heal it,” said Jackson, calling White fragility, White silence, White entitlement, and White interrogation “weapons of Whiteness.”

The panelists placed self-care as a central point of healing and empowerment, encouraging viewers to not wait for the right moment to breathe or ground themselves.

we call it attitude. We have to get back to our cultural genius.”

Viewers were also encouraged to detach from communities that are not intentional about supporting or addressing issues and to come together in healing. Part of that includes showing each other “compassion and grace,” said Jackson.

She emphasized the need to detox from Whiteness—not in terms of physicality, she said, but the “White thought, White bea luxury.

“It is mandatory,” she said. “It's lief, White noise that is infecting what you deserve. It is actually and affecting” Black community, one of the most important things health and healing.

“There is no way to minimize that you can do.”

Going beyond the idea of that,” continued Jackson. “Whitewarm baths and candles, Jones ness is oppressive, violent, intrusaid to look at culturally based sive. It’s pervasive.” She said healing resources. “Things like detoxing could be as simple as hot toddies, yoga, and some- keeping a library of Black-authing as simple as sighing,” he thored books or finding Blacksaid. “Black people sigh all the created artwork to fill your home.

Jones shared three tips for time. That is breathing. That is a healthy act for your body to de- healing: being honest about compress. But we don’t see that— where you are in your health;

is needed that has been missing in the reform discussion thus far. “We think that is the smartest way to bring about change, and it allows people to have input into what’s happening.”

The charter commission says at least two public meetings are planned, one on July 15 and a second yet to be determined.

“We are being forced with an artificial timeline,” stressed Levy Armstrong. “Now is not the time to be in a rush.”

“I absolutely want to see our police force overhauled,” she added. “I’m all for reimaging…

I’m all for overhauling the system, but most importantly, I’m for the right way of doing this.”

Jenkins explained that any changes to the MPD must be approved by the city charter.

“The charter actually limits us from making those changes,” she pointed out. “The city council is not determining anything.”

She said that Minneapolis citizens should have a say in not only the council proposal but also in creating a new policing model, which “has to be de-

veloped with all the stakeholders.” Levy Armstrong added that Police Chief Medaria Arradondo must be included in any Continued from page 1 police reform.

“This proposal to essentially push the chief out of a job, knowing he is the first Black chief, that is extremely prob- been a family-oriented business. lematic for me. It is racist from Businesses have the right to call my perspective,” said Levy police. People are blaming Cup Armstrong. and taking the focus off the “[He] needs to be part of the police. Cup didn’t kill George conversation,” said Jenkins Floyd—the police did. I stand of Arradondo. “Timing is ev- with Cup foods. erything. We have to use this moment to ask the community —B. Stewart what they want. We must figCup is a disgrace to their ure out how to keep our com- neighborhood; they never look munity safe.” out for the community and the Both panelists said they community is what kept them want the same thing in re- in business. I believe they gouge gards to police reform. “All of their prices, but they don’t see us care about the well-being the fault in what they are doing. of our community,” said Levy Making money off the likeness Armstrong. “Everybody in our of George Floyd… It was wrong community has to have a voice to call the police on an alleged on what our new public safety fake bill which caused a man his looks like,” said Jenkins. life.

Hennepin County Resolution The ‘public health crisis’ resolution directs Hennepin County to: • Advocate for policies to improve health outcomes for Black, Indigenous and communities of color.

• Support initiatives to dismantle systemic racism, seek partnerships with local groups with track records of confronting racism, and promote community efforts to amplify issues of racism.

• Incorporate racism and the public health crisis into budget hearing materials.

• Communicate with the board in three months about its timeline to take significant steps, such as: 1. Shifting its service-delivery approach with a lens on improving health outcomes for Black, Indigenous and people of color.

2. Developing consistent methodology for data for continued public transparency.

3. Assessing internal policies, procedures and goals to recommend steps to improve health outcomes for Black, Indigenous and people of color.

4. Assessing how a public health lens may improve disparities in other domains, such as housing, in come and education.

5. Developing a recommendation for standards for implementation of any future County anti-racist community initiatives or proposals.

6. Assessing County activities in hiring, promoting staff, developing leaders, contracting for services, and giving grants with a racial equity lens.

largest level of government in the state. We've got a very large budget and we make some big decisions that impact literally every person in this county. So, I think MSR: What should commu- it's important for people to keep nity members do to stay better that work on their radar.

If there's something within the informed and engaged?

AC: I think every once in a city that you think might be an while folks should really watch issue, it may be something that I Hennepin County Board meet- have control over. It may be someings. You know, this is the second- thing that the City has control over,

“The revolution will be healing,” said Lewis. “Radical selfcare is resistance, because the system does not want us well.” She added that self-care is a right, not

“We have to get back to our cultural genius.”

5

finding and setting balance and boundaries; and making consistent constructive choices to cope with the current environment. “[We] eat pain like Skittles,” he said when asked how communities can heal while continually being broken and pretending to be okay. “We just take in pain and we enjoy it. It’s part of who we are, and it’s part of our resiliency and our culture. But it doesn’t do us any good if we are not evolving.”

For those who choose to seek professional help, Jones advised that they “make sure you have somebody who understands culture, who has some healing principles and practices to help you move forward.” Otherwise, he said, even if they are Black, they might not do you any good.

The town hall closed with panelists sharing an action to begin the journey towards healing.

Allow yourself to “be vulnerable,” said Jackson. “Find at least

but I want people to know who all of their representatives are.

For more information on the Hennepin County Board, go www.hennepin.us/your-government#leadership.

This interview was conducted by Paige Elliott.

one person that you can trust to have a conversation about how you are truly feeling.”

Jones added, “One of the biggest things you can do for your own mental health is to value who you are and not allow other people to dictate who and how you are and who you are supposed to be.”

Lewis shared the cathartic effects of crying. She advised viewers to strive for Black excellence, not perfection. “You are amazing, awesome and brilliant. You might just be having a hard time.

You don’t have to be all the things right now,” she said. “That’s okay.”

The MSR News Service contributed to this story.

Word on the street

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

—Julian J.

garden to represent a memorial for George Floyd.

Cup Foods understands what happens to Black men when the police are called, so why call the police over an alleged fake bill?

—Questions facilitated by Nikki Love. Photos of Nathaniel, Zack King and Niki B. by Nikki Love.

Photo of Julian J. was submitted by the subject. Photo of Cup Foods by Steve Floyd.

I do not know what’s true about Cup Foods and what’s not. I’ve heard things about Cup but have never had any incidents personally with them. I believe the City should make the site a community co-op or peace

6

July 9-11, 2020

Sounds of Blackness’ Gary Hines shares the inspiration behind new single

“The kumbaya songs are actually a part of the problem. This is about the Movement, about being an anthem.”

By Tiffany Johnson Contributing writer

T

he three-time Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness have remained a beacon of music and hope in the Black community.

They’ve made both local and international impact for the past five decades.

The group’s new hit single “Sick & Tired” featuring St. Paul’s High School For Recording Arts (HSRA) was released June 19.

The premiere of the song’s music video followed on June 26 under the direction of national recording artist and Sounds’ member Jamecia Bennet, making her directorial debut.

With aesthetics that allude to the Black Panther Party, the music video pays homage to the Civil Rights Movement that is experiencing not so much a rebirth, but a continuation right here in Minneapolis.

Written and produced by Gary D. Hines, music director and producer for the group, “Sick & Tired” is a direct response to the murder of George Floyd

Gary Hines and the continued injustice, inequality and inhumanity that presides over the nation.

On May 25, the world lost 46-year-old Floyd by the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.

In response to this incident was a global uproar sparking from

the Twin Cities and spreading around the globe, marking the largest Civil Rights Movement in history. In the words of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, we are, “Sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

“Minneapolis is just the center

of the planet right now and it has been for the past two weeks,” Hines told the MSR. The tone of the song “Sick & Tired,” while kicking a familiar upbeat Minneapolis sound, is not unabashed in its message calling for reform.

“We’ve been receiving countless inquiries for collaboration on ‘Let’s Hold Hands’ songs but no,” said Hines. “The kumbaya songs are actually a part of the problem,” he said. “This is about the Movement, about being an anthem.”

As witnessed through the various protests around the world, the narrative of the people’s response has become intolerant of the blatant and systematic injustice that Black and Brown people in America continue to suffer.

An urgency and an energy has mobilized people in a new way. “We witnessed a lynching in real time and saw it over and over and over again,” said Hines.

“Anything that comes from [the Sounds] has to incorporate that outrage—that righteous indignation. You forget how angry Jesus got when they desecrated the temple.”

For Hines, the music is much

greater than the industry itself.

This music is a vessel of the truth, change and community that is direly needed in the world today.

“We need to take a gut wrenching look at ourselves—I mean America—and fully and finally

deal with systematic injustice, systemic racism [and] White supremacy. It’s in the very fabric of this country,” he said.

Hines reminds us of how music has always informed revolution in America. “Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, made “Dr. Feel Good,” but she also made

“To Be Young Gifted and Black,” and “Respect.” The whole Black Power Movement made [“Respect”] a political statement…

James Brown had “I Feel Good” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” but of course he had the anthem of the Black Power Movement, “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud).”

Hines emphasized the importance and responsibility of music during this time, and shared words of advice to artists, including the younger generation of creatives: “Have your party music but never disassociate yourself from the Movement, from the condition of the people.”

Find the Sounds of Blackness new single “Sick and Tired” on all major music platforms. For more info, visit www.soundsofblackness.org.

Tiffany Johnson welcomes readers responses to tjohnson@spokesman-recorder.com.

Jazz world continues to adapt and speak to the times James on Jazz

By Robin James Contributing writer In these turbulent times, people from around the jazz world are using the spirit of jazz for good and speaking to the times.

Here are just a few examples.

WBGO’s Nate Chinen has started a podcast, “Jazz United,” with Greg Bryant and producer Sarah Kerson. The pilot is about jazz and protest (past and present), but the podcast itself will be a wide-ranging new conversation hosted by Chinen and Bryant. The first episode is available now at www.wbgo.org. Chinen has written about jazz for the New York Times and JazzTimes.

Currently, he oversees editorial content for WBGO 88.3 fm.

In addition, many artists are continuing to put on some of the best jazz concerts taking place on the web weekly. Jazz fans can watch live on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

The beloved Village Vanguard, located in New York City, is now live streaming performances. Artists like drummer Billy Hart, pianist Vijay Iyer, and bassist Joe Martin, have been scheduled acts. For info on future performances and how to buy tickets, visit villagevanguard. com.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band presented a night of musical collaborations, neverbefore-seen performances and commentary from Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe. I watched via livestream on Saturday, June 20, and saw singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae with members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. It was wonderful. I also caught guitarist Mark Whitfield with his dynamic band via live stream at Smalls Jazz Club. He played a lot of amazing original songs.

Online festivals are happening, too. Some are presenting impressive archival concerts, while others are presenting artists performing from their homes.

The music of Newport Jazz

Festival is coming to you this summer. The organization will broadcast curated sets from over 65 years of history-making artists. Just this month they featured from the archives: “Freedom Now Suite” by Max Roach recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1964.

New Orleans trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard recently posted via Twitter, a video interview about scoring the picture “Da 5 Bloods,” a Spike Lee joint. Check it out @T_Blanchard.

Pianist Robert Glasper has also been pretty active on Twitter with his Black Radio Broadcast.

For his part, he’s been featuring unreleased live recordings.

What I’ve mentioned so far is what musicians and music fans forging new connections and adjusting to the times look like. But that’s not all. Some of the concerts that I’ve looked forward to and continue to watch have been part of the Blue Note at Home Livestream Series. Performers have included Ron Carter, Nicholas Payton, Michel Camelo, and Wayne Escoffery to name a few.

ous Monk, are scheduled for re- lespie and arranged by Heath, lease in July. especially for the upcoming alJazz fans are most certainly bum. Just weeks before his death, Heath recorded his last album due out July 17.

Another cause for excitement is a previously unreleased Thelonious Monk concert coming out.

A professional recording of this concert that took place in 1968 will be released on July 31. The album is called “Palo Alto.” The summer of 1968 was very similar to the summer of 2020 as Americans were protesting racism.

The music was recorded from inside a high school auditorium by a janitor who remains unknown. Danny Scher, a high school student in Palo Alto, Calif., had the idea to book Monk and has held on to the recording for over 50 years. The school janitor told Scher if he let him record the concert, he’d get the piano tuned.

The late Jimmy Heath’s “Love Letter” comes out July 17.

Verve records Scher agreed. The rest is history.

To watch the livestream, visit the Blue Note NYC Facebook page and then click the stream from

the main page.

Looking ahead further, two very special new recordings by jazz legends, one from Jimmy Heath and another by Theloni-

excited about the great saxoRobin James welcomes readers’ phonist Jimmy Heath’s posthu- responses to jamesonjazz@spokesmous release, “Love Letter” from man-recorder.com.

Verve Records. It features “Con Alma” composed by Dizzy Gil-

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres announces summer concerts Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) recently announced a schedule of live summer concerts to be performed on the main stage beginning on Friday, July 10 through the end of August.

Since March 13, CDT has been dark after all performances were postponed due to COVID-19. But now Chanhassen

Dinner Theatres is offering fanfavorite concerts postponed from the spring season and also several new tributes. The concert series has been moved from its home in the fireside to the much larger main dinner theatre space to accommodate a safer number of guests at 25% capacity.

Titles will include favorites such as: “100 Years of Sina-

tra, A Salute to Buddy Holly and Friends, I Dig Peter, Paul & Mary,” “Forever Everly, Rumours & Dreams: The Music of Fleetwood Mac” and a host of brand new concerts like: “A Night of Hall & Oates,” “ABBASolutely Fab,” and “Hot Buttered Classic Soul” featuring Ginger Commodore, Dennis Spears and the incredible Jesse Larson, final-

Music in the Parks goes virtual The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) announced that it would move the Minneapolis Music in the Parks events to a virtual format in the interest of the health and safety of park visi-

tors, performers and employ- ies Facebook page. You can also view recent virtual concerts ees. on YouTube/Minneapolis Parks To learn more about virtual channel. concerts and movies, go to www. mplsmusicandmovies.com or visit MPRB’s Music & Mov-

ist of “NBC’s The Voice.”

Concerts will be performed four-to-six nights every week, including some matinees. At this time, concerts are scheduled through August. CDT is following State Health Department and CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of its guests and staff.

Mask use is required when not consuming food or beverage.

ChanhassenDT.com.

The box office is now open to take reservations by phone at 952-934Doors will open two hours prior 1525 from 10am to 5pm Monday through Friday (closed to the performance. Dinner is available for $15, in addition to the $40 July 3). Reservations can also easily ticket price. Seats are being assigned be made on ChanhassenDT.com to ensure safe distancing. Ticket buyers will check in at will-call upon arrival to receive their table assignment.

Full safety details may be found on Beverage service will continue through the performance.

July 9-15, 2020

Legals

7

Employment

State of Minnesota Ramsey County Dillon James Goodsky, Sr.

State of Minnesota From Classified Ramsey County

Notice of Issuance of Emergency (Ex Parte) Order for Protection by Publication (Minn. Stat. § 518B.01, subd. 8)

In the Matter of Abbi Jo Lauer and OBO minor child vs Dillon James Goodsky, Sr. To Respondent:

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an Ex Parte Order for Protection has been issued in LEGAL NOTICES this case. You may request a hearing if you contact the court administrator's office Xof4 publication INCHESof this notice. You may obtain a copy of withinSIZE: 12 days2ofCOL the date the ExFLAT Parte Order for Protection RATE $100.00and the form to request a hearing om the court administrator's ofce at the following address:

YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an Ex Parte Order for Protection has been issued in this case. You may request a hearing if you contact the court administrator's office within 12 days of the date of publication of this notice. You may obtain a copy of the Ex Parte Order for Protection and the form to request a hearing from the court administrator's office at the following address:

Ramsey County District Court 25 West Seventh Street St Paul MN 55102 FailurePlease to request a hearing or to obtainwith a copyemail of the Ex Parte Order will not a proof, respond confirmation to bedisdefense to prosecution for violation of the Court's order.

Ramsey County District Court 25 West Seventh Street St Paul MN 55102

play@spokesman-recorder.com

Failure to request a hearing or to obtain a copy of the Ex Parte Order will not be a defense to prosecution for violation of the Court's order.

Dated: July 1, 2020

District Court Second Judicial District

Department/MN Court File Number: 62-DA-FA-20-584 Spokesman-Recorder of Issuance of Emergency PHONE: 612-827-4021 Notice(Ex Parte) Order for FOR BILLING Protection by Publication (Minn. Stat. § 518B.01, subd. 8) INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS In the Matter of Ada Lizeth Zepeda and OBO Minor Child vs JosePLEASE Francisco Lopez Velasquez CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT To Respondent:

District Court Second Judicial District Court File Number: 62-DA-FA-20-607

Dated: July 7, 2020

Donald W. Harper Court Administrator

Donald W. Harper Court Administrator

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder July 9, 2020

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder July 9, 2020

State of Minnesota County Ramsey

Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation/Articles of Incorporation Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 317A

District Court Judicial District: Second Court File Number: 62DAFA18827 Case Type: Domestic Abuse

In the Matter of:

From Classified

The individual(s) listed below who is (are each) 18 years of age or older, herebyDepartment/MN adopt(s) the following Articles of Incorporation:

Spokesman-Recorder

PHONE: 612-827-4021 ARTICLE 1 - CORPORATE NAME:

Falishia Washington and OBO Minor Children Petitioner vs.

Robert lee Ranzy, Jr. Respondent

FOR BILLING

ARTICLE 2 - REGISTERED OFFICE AND AGENT(S), IF ANY AT THAT INQUIRIES OFFICE:

Notice of Hearing by Publication (Minn. Stat. § 518B.01, subd. 8)

& TEARSHEETS PLEASE CONTACT ARTICLE 3 - INCORPORATOR(S): ACCOUNTING DEPT

Name Address: 1601 Park Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55404 USA Name: Address: Carlton Jessup 1601 Park Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55404

To Respondent named above: An order has been issued directing you to appear at JFJC, 25 W. 7th Street, Courtroom 5A, St. Paul MN 55102 on July 16, 2020 at 8:30a.m. and explain why the relief sought in the Petition for the Order for Protection should not be granted.

RAMSEY COUNTY

DURATION: PERPETUAL

If 1 you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the WEEK RUN attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, FLAT RATE $100.00 PREPAID this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment.

You may obtain a copy of the Petition and any order issued from the court from the Ramsey County Court Administrator's Office.

If you do not appear at the scheduled hearing, the Petitioner's request may be granted as a default matter. Failure to appear will not be a defense to prosecution for violation of the Court's Order.

By typing my name, I, the undersigned, certify that I am signing this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all required fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by signing this document I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath.

Donald Harper Juvenile and Family Court Administrator Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder July 9, 2020

SOe Continued from page 10 they missed out on an opportunity,” Kendrick pointed out. “The major leagues might have provided a better opportunity, [but] the quality of play in the Negro Leagues would not take a back seat to any league.

“One league gave the White athlete the best opportunity to showcase their baseball ability. The other did the exact same thing with the best Black and Spanish ballplayers to showcase their baseball ability,” the NLBM president continued.

The Negro Leagues is a part of American history that too often gets segmented into just being about sports. It created and supported a Black economy that hasn’t been seen since its demise nearly seven decades ago. Also, it is a history that is slowly disappearing from our eyes—Kendrick estimates there are about 100 former Negro Leaguers still alive.

“Sometimes guys are passing on and we don’t know about it,” he said. “They are the ones who played at the very end of the Negro Leagues in the late 50s. The guys who played in the ‘30s and ‘40s virtually are all gone.”

“Every time we lose one, we

#2ndChanceProject

lose a piece of that history,” Kendrick reiterated. “We try to subSIGNED BY: Carlton Jessup stantiate and collect as much inMAILING ADDRESS: None Provided EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: jessup5027@yahoo.com formation we can before we lose [them]. This is literally a race against time.”

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder July 9, 2020 This reporter has had the pleasure of speaking with several former Negro Leaguers who are no longer with us, including there representing my culthe legendary Buck O’Neil, the ture and my people and my brainchild behind the NLBM, lo- Continued from page 10 family,” added Jaycee. After cated in Kansas City.

Jaycee usually stands out the Carolina tournament, Minnesota Twins President as golf continues, with few Jaycee heads to St. CathDave St. Peter last week told exceptions, to be a majority- erine’s, where she is one of the MSR that the team plans to White sport. Her father says five first-year members on honor the Negro Leagues next this fact at times has been the school’s golf team. season. He tipped his cap to the harder on him than on his “This is my time to shine,” Black players: “We have to find daughter: “[She] deals with it she said. “I’m ready for it.” creative ways to celebrate the Ne- better than I do,” James said. gro Leagues. It is critical that we “You still get that look from Charles Hallman welcomes do that.” reader responses to challman@ some [people].”

“This campaign is not just “It feels amazing to be out spokesman-recorder.com. good for us,” Kendrick concluded, “it is good for baseball. It’s a perfect celebration for the game of baseball and a perfect way for us to welcome baseball back.”

From Classified Sr. IT Program Manager Department/MN Sr. IT Program Manager for Medtronic, Inc., at its facility inSpokesman-Recorder Mounds View, MN. Establish and maintain appropriate PHONE:arrangements 612-827-4021 governance for the program that ensures the FOR BILLING successful implementation of the outcomes derived through the change.

Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent in Management INQUIRIES Information Systems, Information Technology, or Computer & TEARSHEETS Science and five (5) post-bachelor’s progressive experience in PLEASE CONTACT all of the following: Managing SAP Implementations & project ACCOUNTING DEPT involving SAP implementation, roll outs, upgrades and Data migration; Managing IT components of Merger and acquisiRAMSEY tions; ManagingCOUNTY projects and programs with $5M plus budget for onshore and offshore groups; Leading and managing global framework and tools, governance, training, and strategic vendor 1 WEEK RUN management; FLAT RATEQuality $100.00management; PREPAID managing stakeholders and aligning process requirements, managing triple constraints (budget, scope, and schedule) on a project; SDLC, Waterfall, Agile and ITIL methodologies; Regulatory compliance methodologies; Utilizing lean and six sigma for continuous improvement processes. In lieu of a Bachelor’s degree and five (5) years of experience, the employer will accept seven (7) years of experience in the above listed skills.

Must possess the following certifications: Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) and Scrum Master CertificaFrom Classified tion.

Department/MN

Apply at https://jobs.medtronic.com/, Req. 20000A5E. Spokesman-Recorder Medtronic is an612-827-4021 equal opportunity employer committed to PHONE: cultural in the workplace.

FORdiversity BILLING

INQUIRIES & TEARSHEETS PLEASE CONTACT ACCOUNTING DEPT

All individuals are encouraged to apply.

Engineer – Fluid Power

ASSUMED NAME: Engineer – Fluid RATE 2 WK RUN Power: Loram Maintenance $150.00 ofTOTAL: Way, Inc. in Hamel, MN. Req. master’s

degree in mechanical engineering & 3 yrs of exp as a mechanical engineer or hydraulics Please proof, respond with email confirmation to displa engineer.

Req. 3 yrs of exp in hydraulic comspokesman-recorder.com ponent & system design; 3 yrs of exp w/ 3D CAD and motion control functions/systems.

10% domestic/ international travel. For confidential consideration, please submit résumé to jessica.l.strong@loram.com. No agencies or phone calls please.

Larry Fitzgerald’s column will return next week.

Jaycee

The Tipping Your Cap campaign continues through July 23. Photos and videos can be downloaded to photos@ tippingyourcap.com as well as seeing the many posted greetings.

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

O’nika’s Angels Donation Drive

July 25th, 2020 10:00-2:00pm

Lynnhurst Park 1345 W Minnehaha Pkwy Minneapolis, MN 55419

O’nika’s Angels is a nonprofit community organization. We raise financial donations and collect supplies to give back (financial needs, supplies and goods) to local businesses and families hardest hit in the community by Covid 19 and recent events here in the Twin Cities. July 25th O’nika’s Angels will hold a donation drive. Please bring your essentials to Lynnhurst Park.

To donate financially we have set up two cash app for your convenience using Venmo @onikasangels or Cash App $onikasangels If you have any supplies you want to donate before or after July 25th please email us at onikasangels@ gmail.com. We will make arrangements to pick up supplies and goods.

Collecting Essentials- Personal hygienes, Cleaning Supplies, Diapers (any size), Hand Sanitizer, Laundry Detergent, Paper Products

View Continued from page 10

Black analyst. “The key for us is making sure that we get pipelines created into all kinds of different communities,” he explained.

“Baseball isn’t the easiest sport to work in, especially in our PR department,” said Dustin Morse, the Twins’ senior director of its all-White communications department.

Twins President Dave St. Peter added, “We’ve gone through an organizationwide journey around diversity and inclusion, and included a new inclusion statement… I feel real good about where we are at.”

“Major League Baseball’s teams must improve inclusive hiring practices in order to accurately represent the players who play the game and the communities they serve,” noted TIDES Executive Director Richard Lapchick.

“We are trying to cast a wider net” to become more diverse, Morse said. “We try to find the best candidates in the PR department each year from all over, both educational and experience wise.”

“We are really struggling finding adequate numbers of candidates, people of color in our pipelines. We have a lot of work to do,” St. Peter concluded.

private company, we do not share our employee demographics,” a spokesperson told us. “However, we are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified individuals are encouraged to apply to open positions.”

Major League Baseball (MLB) got an overall B-minus grade, but an A-minus for racial hiring. Blacks make up nearly 10% of the MLB Central Office, but the percentages are lower at virtually every team level, including players (8.4%), presidents (0%), GMs (6.7%), VPs (6.3%), senior administrators (5.3%) and professional staff (6%).

Of nearly 120 persons in the Minnesota Twins front office, 8% (10) are Black. Five departments have zero Blacks, and baseball operations (14%), broadcasting (12%) and brand marketing (10%) all have Blacks in double-digit percentages. ”We have been extremely diverse in our hiring on the baseball operations, particularly at the intern level and the junior level,” Executive VP and Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey told us. “It is a real important thing for us in baseball operations and also organizational-wide.”

Next: The Minnesota Vikings Falvey’s 35-person baseball and the NFL operations department has Charles Hallman welcomes two Black special assistants, reader responses to challman@ two Blacks in security, and a spokesman-recorder.com.

July 9-15, 2020

BULLETIN Signs available for lower speed limits in the Twin Cities–while supplies last Minneapolis and St. Paul are in the process of implementing new, lower speed limits to support safer streets to promote safer travel for everyone. The new speed limit starting this fall will be 20 mph in both cities unless otherwise signed. Many busier streets already have new 25 mph speed limit signs installed.

To help get out the word about the new speed limits and the importance of slower speeds for safety, the City has yard signs available for community members. You can pick up your “20 is Plenty” yard sign at any Minneapolis fire station. Signs will be available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 7 pm from July 6 to July 24 while supplies last. Due to COVID-19, signs will be available outside the stations.

Find your firestation at bit.ly/20MplsSigns.

Learn more about the new speed limits at bit.ly/20IsPlenty.

NAMI Minnesota is offering free online mental health classes

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has set up a wide variety of free online mental health classes for July and August. They include classes such as Mental Illnesses and Crisis Communication, Mental Health and the Workplace, Hope for Recovery, Ending the Silence, Understanding Early Episode Psychosis for Families, Teen Tuesdays, In Our Own Voice, Creating Caring Communities, a suicide prevention class called QPR–Question, Persuade and Refer and many more.

The classes are designed for family members and caregivers, persons living with a mental illness, service providers, and also the general public. Find a complete listing of these classes and how to join in by going to namimn.org and clicking on “Classes” or go straight to namimn.org/education-public-awareness/classes/scheduled.

–Information provided by NAMI Minnesota.

–Information and image provided by the City of Minneapolis

Need help affording your insulin?

As of July 1, Minnesotans who need help obtaining insulin can receive help through the Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program. Visit MNinsulin.org to see if you qualify. If you do, download and complete an application, then take it to your pharmacy to get the insulin you need for a $35 or less copay.

Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Worship Mount Olivet Missionary Baptist Church

Bethesda Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Billy G. Russell, Sr. Pastor

Rev. Arthur Agnew, Pastor

Rev. James C. Thomas, Pastor

451 West Central

St. Paul, MN 55103 651-227-4444

Church School 9:30 am Morning Worship 8:00 & 10:45 am Prayer Service:

Wednesday 7 pm "Welcome to

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church"

At the Old Landmark 1118 So. 8th Street

2600 E. 38th Street Minneapolis, MN 55408 www.greatfriend.org Phone: 612.827.7928 Fax: 612.827.3587 info@greatfriend.org

Mpls., MN 55404 612-332-5904 www.bethesdamnonline.com bethesdamn@prodigy.net

Sundays 8:00am Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service

Sunday Service Times: Early Morning Service 9 am Sunday School 10 am

The Friendly Church Where Everybody Is Somebody

Sunday Worship 11:30 am

Wednesday Prayer Meeting, 6 pm Adult Bible Class 7 pm Children's Bible Class 7 pm

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Doctor Charles Gill 732 W. Central Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 Sunday Worship Service: 9:45 AM Sunday School: 8:45 AM

–Information provided by the MN Insulin Safety Net Program

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July 9-15, 2020

Both MN United and MN Twins fall short in inclusive hiring “We’ve gone through an organization-wide journey around diversity and inclusion.”

Second in a multi-part series SThe Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) suggests that workforce diversity in sport should at munities’ Black populations.

Do the significant decisionleast match the percentages of the Black players they have, making positions in our local and at best reflect their com- teams represent or under-

represent Minnesota’s Black population (nearly 7%) or the nation’s Black popula- Derek Falvey tion (13%)? TIDES collects

Dave St. Peter

data from the respective pro leagues for analysis. We aren’t that scientific—we examine, if available, team media guides and count the Black faces in the front office photos.

Major League Soccer (MLS) got an A on TIDES’ latest Racial and Gender Report Card, and an A for its league’s central office racial hiring, but team senior staff positions (over five percent of color) needs improving.

We found one Black scout’s photo in the St. Paul-based Minnesota United soccer team’s media guide. “As a ■ See View on page 7

Golf Showcase winner will play for St. Kate’s

By Charles Hallman Contributing writer Jaycee Rhodes is preparing for her final high school golf tournament before she heads off to college. The Eastview High School graduate will represent Minnesota in the 2020 Girls High School Golf Invitational in North Carolina on August 3-5.

Due to the spring sports season getting cancelled by the global pandemic, Rhodes instead played in the Minnesota High School Senior Showcase, a non-Minnesota State High School Leaguesanctioned tournament in June. She stormed from behind to win this year’s Showcase by a stroke.

Rhodes was a two-time Class 2A state competitor, finishing tied for 14th in 2018, her sophomore year at Visitation. Then she transferred to Eastview but wasn’t eligible to play varsity as a result: “I

had already lost my junior year,” said Rhodes. Then COVID-19 knocked out her senior season at Eastview.

Jaycee Rhodes on the course The young lady first played golf as a preschooler.

“I officially carried my clubs when I was three years old, but I started playing tournaments at the age of six,” said Rhodes proudly.

Jaycee’s father, James Rhodes, said he began bringing his young daughter with

him to the course when he played. “Instead of getting a daycare, I’d bring her out on the course. I let her go out and hit, and she fell in love” with the sport, he recalled.

“My dad and my uncle were telling me that I have a natural swing,” Jaycee said.

“It was so much fun.” Rhodes later joined the Fairway Foundation, a local group that has promoted and taught golf and other life skills to youth of color since 1993.

“Jaycee started with us when she was six and has grown in our organization,” Fairway Board President Erick Goodlow told the MSR. He said Rhodes exemplifies the foundation’s key objectives: “A straight-A student, she’s effortlessly one of the most down-to-earth, honest young persons you want to meet.

“Part of our goals at the Fairway Foundation [is to] provide the tools and the skills…to compete at the

highest level in golf, and ultimately produce a state champion at that level, both boys and girls,” Goodlow explained. He said Rhodes is the third Fairway member to compete at the state tournament, but the first to win a state title.

But—as both Goodlow and her father stressed—the soft-spoken Rhodes can be as tough as she needs to be. “I am competing against myself on the golf course,” she said.

“I’m focused on my game and how I am playing. I wanted to be out there and I wanted to win.

“Since I was in seventh grade, I have been playing varsity with all the seniors and juniors. It made me a stronger person,” said Rhodes. She added that she loves playing in the summer tournaments “where the true players come out, the true competition, a true field.”

Whether she’s playing local, Photos courtesy of James Rhodes state or national tournaments,

“It feels amazing to be out there representing my culture and my people and my family.”

Jaycee at left with her family

■ See Jaycee on page 7

A ‘tip of the cap’ to the Negro Leagues The coronavirus pandemic Carter—kicked off “Tipping unfortunately killed many sum- Your Cap” June 26. They were mer plans, including a MLB- followed by countless past and

Jones, Williams led Henry in 1990 state’s top all-around athletes starring in football and basketball, did not initially go out for the track team, opting to play baseball instead. When the team lost early in the baseball playoffs,

the official ambassador and history curator of the first professional organized Black baseball

in 1995.

As a person teaching a class on survival skills for young African American males at Henry back in 1987, I got a hint of Jones’ athletic greatness to come. Dur-

PreP Scene Dr. Mitchell PalMer McDonalD

Photo by Charles Hallman

Bob Kendrick at center wide 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Negro Leagues. It would have been the first time all 30 MLB clubs recognized the Negro Leagues on the same day (June 22), but then the 2020 season was delayed until later this month.

In lieu of the celebration, “a crazy idea” by Negro League Baseball Museum (NLBM) President Bob Kendrick emerged. He ran it by two friends, who agreed with it. “The three of us went to work, and in about two weeks we put this campaign together,” he told the MSR last week.

Four living former U.S. presidents—Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy

present athletes, celebrities, politicians, even a little boy shown on a web GIF doing a simple but long-honored gesture.

“There is nothing more honorable in our sport to do [than] a tip of the cap,” explained Kendrick.

“It’s the ultimate sign of respect.”

league that started in 1920. It operated through the Depression years, World War II, and the years after Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color line in 1960.

It also ran virtually simultaneously with Major League

“This campaign is a perfect way for us to welcome baseball back.”

“If I told you that I expected Baseball.

“Many people have the mindthis kind of response, I’d be lying,” he admitted. “We’re over- set that because these guys whelmed by the response on just didn’t play in the major leagues, a crazy idea I had.”

■ See SOE on page 7 Kendrick works tirelessly as

Thirty years ago, senior Leonard Jones and junior Martez Williams, the only two entrants in the 1990 Class AA state track and field meet representing Patrick Henry High School, shocked everyone but themselves and Head Coach James Cook by leading the Patriots to the championship, edging Minnetonka 44-42.

The dynamic duo leaped their way to the title with Jones—who garnered the nickname Leapin Leonard while playing basketball in high school—placing first in the high (6’7”), long (23’10½”) and triple jumps (48’3¾”), while Williams placed third in the high (6’6”) and second in the triple (48’¼”).

“It is definitely one of the highlights of my athletic career,” said Jones, who went on to become an All-American track and field performer at the University of St. Thomas, where he also participated in basketball and football. “It is something me and Martez talked about,” he continued, “but it almost didn’t happen.”

Williams, at the time one the

Leonard Jones he joined the track team just in time to help put Henry on the map.

“I had a hard time getting him to come out that season,” Jones remembered. “I’m glad he decided to join the team. We accomplished something memorable.”

After high school graduation in 1991, Williams starred for the Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team and became an outstanding wide receiver for the football team before his untimely death

Photo courtesy Facebook ing passing time on an early fall day, future basketball All-State performer Prentiss Perkins announced to me amidst a crowd of students, “I’m a pretty good basketball player, but he’s the best athlete in the school.”

Perkins was pointing at Leonard Jones.

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