June 7, 2018 - MN Spokesman Recorder

June 7-13, 2018

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

THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934

— See Purple Music on pg. 6

Vol. 84 No. 44 www.spokesman-recorder.com

Remnants of addiction Scores of discarded needles pose health risk

College’s first Black dean steps out on faith

By Brandi Phillips Contributing Writer

“M

y family has a lot of firsts,” said Nerita Griffin Hughes. Her late father, affectionately known as Griff, was one of the first African American firefighters in the Minneapolis Fire Department. Hughes’ mother was

Needles and drugs collected by Natives Against Heroin in Minneapolis prepared for safe handling.

Heroin (NAH) are on a mission to address the safety concerns of Byrd and others in the community by cleaning up the neighbor“I can’t let my daughter play in hood. On Monday, June 4, NAH her own backyard and be a kid came together to pick up used because I fear what would hap- and discarded needles in a South pen if she picked up or got poked Minneapolis neighborhood near by a needle,” said Corey Byrd, the Little Earth of United Tribes homeowner and contract worker housing complex.

The group, led by founder for St. Paul and Minneapolis PubJames Cross, met for an evening lic Schools.

Members of Natives Against of action on the corner of 25th

Chris Juhn Contributing Writer

and Bloomington avenues where they protested against a rising drug epidemic, dealers and, most importantly, helped clean up the neighborhood.

Research about the rate of discarded needles is virtually nonexistent for Minnesota. A staff member at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) advised that the State does not do data collection on needle-finding or pickup because there is no mandated

Entrepreneur finds success through business and goodwill

Gloria Freeman

By Keith Schubert Staff Writer After opening Olu’s Home, Inc. in 1999, Gloria Freeman knew she had found her calling: helping people live their best potential life and leaving a legacy for her family.

The residential site, which provides home-based and community-based services to people with severe cognitive disabilities, was Freeman’s first social business venture. She went on to open nine more residential houses dedicated to the same cause.

“I believe that we all have a right to live a fulfilling life, and so in any way that I can help make that happen, that’s what I do. That’s my mission,” Freeman said.

Freeman is now set to receive Meda’s “Entrepreneur

“I could have gone back to underwriting,” she said, after the market rebounded.

“That’s a good career, too, but I wasn’t touching lives and making a difference the way I wanted to – and, most importantly, I wasn’t being fulfilled.”

After nearly 15 years of service to the severely cognitively disabled, Freeman said the State placed a moratorium on the number of residential houses she could open. So, in 2013, she expanded Olu’s Home and got licensed to open an assisted living residential home for senior citizens. Two years later, in 2015, she expanded her brand once again with Olu’s Beginnings, a holisticPhoto by KNOCK based early childhood development center.

She now serves as the of the Year” award at its 47th annual recognition meeting CEO of both Olu’s Home, Inc. on June 11. An acronym for and Olu’s Beginnings, LLC. the Metropolitan Econom- In addition to housing seric Development Association, vices, Freeman said she has Meda is a Twin Cities non- 20 cognitively disabled cliprofit that provides business ents to whom she provides consulting, access to capital, in-home assistance.

Early in her career, Freeand market opportunities to man said someone told her it minority entrepreneurs.

“I feel ecstatic. I feel hon- is important to have a comored. I feel surprised and, monality when expanding or most importantly, grateful starting a new business; she and humbled to receive such used this logic when builda prestigious award,” said ing her business. “We’re all Freeman. “I’m always striv- about serving people. I mean, ing to do better and my bar that’s the core of our busiof excellence is continually ness,” she said.

Freeman added that she rising.”

Before opening Olu’s wanted to ensure she left Home, Freeman worked as a legacy for her family. “I an underwriter in the in- think that, as an entrepresurance field. Losing her neur, I have a responsibility job due to market changes ■ See Entrepreneur on page 5 helped propel her into this new field.

CORRECTION: Raiesha Williams’ photo was misidentified as Kim Wilson in last week’s article “Slain activist’s clothing line relaunched in his honor”

one of the first African American triplets in Monroe, La. and became one of the first African American teachers during the 1960s Minneapolis Public Schools hiring push.

Hughes is also a first: North Hennepin Community College’s first African American dean.

She became permanent dean of Business, Technology, Career, and Workforce Development

Photo by Chris Juhn reporting on a local level.

Anecdotally, however, the number of discarded needles during NAH’s afternoon pickup is alarming. In less than two hours, the group had found over 100 needles. A child or adult accidentally poked by these discarded needles can be infected with diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C.

Nerita Hughes

■ See Addiction on page 5

Photos by Chris Juhn ■ See Faith on page 5

Southside teacher blazes trail to basketball Hall of Fame

By Charles Hallman Senior Staff Writer “I have never missed the last day of school,” said longtime teacher Tonyus Chavers, but this time she has a very good excuse. The Richard Green Central Elementary physical education teacher is heading to Knoxville, Tenn., where she will be inducted into a class of her own – the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

On June 9, Chavers will join a roster of women in Knoxville, Tenn. that includes players Tina Thompson, Chamique Holdsclaw and Katie Smith, coach Ceal Barry, assistant coaches

Tonyus Chavers

cluding the Minnesota Fillies, which was one of eight original teams during the first professional women’s basketball league in the U.S. from 1978-1981.

“We knew we were doing something back then, but we didn’t look at it as…Hall of Fame level,” Chavers reflected of her WBL years – a domestic forerunner of the WNBA, now in its 22nd season. She didn’t play high school ball in the pre-Title IX era because a girls’ team didn’t exist at the time in her hometown of Memphis. “[I] hung around for two years [after graduating from high school] not doing anything

Photo by Charles Hallman

“It’s nothing like being the first and going in with the winningest lady ballers [of] all time.”

Chris Dailey and Mickie DeMoss, and veteran but wasting time” until a friend suggested she and contributor Dr. Rose Marie Battaglia. All enroll at LeMoyne-Owen College, which was will be inducted into the WBHOF Class of 2018. starting a women’s basketball team.

“Most [of] the ladies from my era were the As a former member of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL), Chavers will be inducted as one of the “Trailblazers of the ■ See Trailblazer on page 5 Game.” She played for three WBL teams, in-

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June 7-13, 2018

North Memorial reaches out to high-risk communities

By Judith Hence Contributing Writer

H

ealthRise is a collaboration between Pillsbury United Communities (PUC) and North Memorial Medical Center to help address health disparities in Minneapolis’ Camden and Near North neighborhoods.

Funded by Medtronic Foundation, the program uses a “Care Team” primarily serving African American participants, including ages 60-65 — a population segment that is at highest risk for hypertension and diabetes.

“The goal of the project is to reduce pre-mortality and to improve access to quality health care and healthy food,” said Naomi Sadighi, director of PUC’s Oak Park Center. HealthRise works to achieve that by addressing the whole person. There are approximately 100 people enrolled in the program, who are graduated out when they meet their goals. HealthRise averages 40 home visits per month, including first and follow up visits.

The collaboration is successful because PUC has a firm understanding of the needs of the community, while North Memorial wants to improve their relationship in the neighborhood by improving local family practice clinics with closer connection to the patients. Sadighi posed the question: “Does North Memorial know how to go beyond the conversation of ‘You have to eat better?’”

She pointed out, “It is helpful for North Memorial to have the conversation around a realistic health plan with the patient.” In other words, “This is how you can eat better in your community.”

HealthRise, located in North Market, is the “physical manifestation of the goal of this program,” said Sadighi.

The program’s wellness center in North Market includes a pharmacist, nutritionist, and wellness coordinator. It pro-

“Oftentimes, people think this population just doesn’t care about their health, and that’s not true.”

Naomi Sadighi, director of Oak Park

vides access to healthy food and healthcare education.

MSR asked about benefits resulting from the holistic care approach.

Sadighi affirmed there were positive quantitative and qualitative improvements. Quantitatively, patients entering the program begin by having their A1C and blood pressure measured to determine the best way to work with the participants. Qualitatively, patients are demonstrating improved attitudes and more confidence in ways to manage their health care.

When a doctor gives a diagnosis to a patient, that patient’s confidence can be pretty low, because the diagnosis can be a little complicated. “Maybe they don’t trust the instructions they are given from the provider, because maybe they don’t trust the provider,” said Sa-

Photo courtesy of Pillsbury United Communities dighi.

A HealthRise community health worker works with patients to slowly instill confidence, help them to better understand the medication, and teach them how to take better care of themselves. “We can lower their numbers tomorrow with medication, but [HealthRise teaches patients] longterm skills to take care of their health,” she said.

Baby steps to better health One technique with a particular patient was to use “baby steps” to change poor health habits. The person’s physical condition made it difficult to be treated in the clinic, so care was managed in the home.

The patient was severely diabetic, going blind, and a double amputee,

Food support should be expanded, not reduced Nearly a decade ago, The ing to The Los Angeles Times, the results of this surNew York Times, vey revealed that the employing statiseconomists almost tics from various unanimously agreed state agencies, the that “the “food-box U.S. Department idea is absurd.” of Agriculture, One government and the U.S. Cenofficial in Hawaii addsus Bureau, creatThe Antied that such a plan ed an interactive Poverty “would wreak havoc web map to show Soldier on the states.” Pulitzer the level of SNAP by Prize-winning finan(Supplemental NuDr. Clarence cial journalist Michael trition Assistance Hightower Hiltzik called it “the Program) usage meanest and dumbest in every county in America. It revealed a surpris- approach to food stamps in recent memory.” ing underuse of the program.

The current legislative Here in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, for exam- showdown over the farm bill ple, the data suggested only before the United States House around 60 percent of all eligi- of Representatives threatens to ble households were receiving cut SNAP funding by upwards SNAP benefits. Almost in- of $90 billion over the next 10 stantly, a number of outreach years. The rationale that lawinitiatives at the local, state and makers in favor of the cuts are national levels helped families using is that “able-bodied” who were eligible for SNAP SNAP recipients should be reapply for and access critical quired to work in order to receive those benefits. food support.

Recent data from several In 2018, just over 42 million individuals receive SNAP ben- sources – including the Amerefits, a figure that is analogous ican Farm Bureau Federation, to the number of Americans the U.S. Department of Agri“officially” living in poverty. culture, the Center on Budget This represents an increase of and Policy Priorities, and the 38 percent or nearly 16 million Congressional Budget Office – reveal that most “able” recipipeople since 2007.

However, the cost of provid- ents do in fact work.

For example, 74 percent ing SNAP benefits has more than doubled during that same of non-disabled, non-elderperiod to $63.7 billion annual- ly adults who receive SNAP ly. This has some lawmakers work each year. In multi-perlooking to cut these essential son households with a nondollars going to low-income disabled, non-elderly adult, 81 percent work. And finalhouseholds.

The first proposal of the ly, in households that include current administration was to children and at least one nonreplace the standard EBT card disabled, non-elderly adult, with a “food box.” This would 87 percent participate in the not only reduce the value of workforce.

What should actually be SNAP benefits to each home but eliminate the ability of re- of more concern to legislators cipients to choose their own and government agencies, according to several analysts is food.

Shortly after this propos- the so-called “SNAP gap,” evial, the University of Chica- dence that the current funding go’s Booth School of Business level of SNAP benefits is, in resurveyed dozens of econo- ality, not enough to adequately mists who represented the en- serve Americans in need.

A new report by the Urban tire spectrum of political and economic ideologies. Accord- Institute, a Washington-based

think tank, shows that the “average cost of a low-income meal is $2.36, 27 percent higher than the SNAP maximum benefit per meal of $1.86”: a 50-cent national SNAP gap.

Moreover, unlike the tool that produces America’s federal poverty guidelines, this analysis does account for geographic differences in the price of food among the 48 contiguous states. As such, America’s current SNAP per meal benefit fails to cover the actual costs of a meal in 99 percent of the counties in the contiguous United States, as well as Washington, D.C. Here in the Twin Cities metro, the 50-cent national SNAP gap is comparable to the current gap in Scott and Washington counties. In Scott County, the gap is even lower.

However, the SNAP gaps in Ramsey, Dakota, Hennepin, and Carver counties all exceed the national difference, with the average price of a “low-income meal” coming in at $2.45, $2.46, $2.54, and $3.10 respectively. In these four metro counties, the value of SNAP benefits is less than it is in the overwhelming majority of counties in the Midwest and most counties nationwide.

If the national average value of SNAP benefits, with very few exceptions, is roughly 22 percent less than it should be, how can any lawmaker in good conscience be looking to cut food support to our most vulnerable populations? SNAP benefits should be expanded.

Clarence Hightower is the executive director of Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties. Dr. Hightower holds a Ph.D. in urban higher education from Jackson State University. He welcomes reader responses to 450 Syndicate Street North, St. Paul, MN 55104

having lost both legs. The person was housebound and in denial, blaming the condition on having had to stand long hours working at a grocery store.

The community health worker found a fundamental difference between the diagnosis and what the provider was telling the patient.

HealthRise focused on education, building trust, and building a relationship with the patient, who was determined to drink juice that was mostly sugar. Within a month, the watereddown juice was replaced with watered-down Diet Coke. Eventually, the patient demonstrated a willingness to make changes. “We know this is baby steps, but it was a success,” said Sadighi. “The patient’s numbers improved dramatically.”

North Memorial clinic support HealthRise also partners with North Memorial clinics in Camden and Plymouth. North Memorial requested support with patients who were having trouble with their numbers.

HealthRise does an initial visit with the healthcare worker and with the North Memorial community paramedic. Sadighi said the community paramedic has added training in community work, building long-term relationships, assessing medication, doing blood draws, and other duties typically conducted in a medical clinic.

The community health worker conducts social service evaluations inquiring about basic needs that are barriers to implementing health changes. These needs can be addressed with food stamps, housing, clothing and childcare, for example.

Sadighi said one of the biggest challenges for the program is finding and getting commitments from people in the community. “Just because we know they’re out there doesn’t mean they are available or willing.”

Another challenge is finding community health workers. “You can’t just post an ad for a healthcare worker. It has to be someone [who lives] in the community and understands the community. That’s not someone who would be on Indeed.com looking for a job.”

Sadighi concluded the interview with an appeal: “Everybody cares about their health and everybody wants to be healthy. Oftentimes, people think this population just doesn’t care, and that’s not true. We need to provide the tools so everyone can live a healthy life.”

A grant from the Medtronic Foundation helped make this story possible.

Judith Hence welcomes reader responses to judith.hence@gmail.com.

Congratulations!

Thank you Minneapolis City Council for protecting the youth of Minneapolis!

About 95% of adult smokers started before age 21, meaning if youth don’t start by then, they likely never will. Raising the tobacco sales age to 21 disrupts youth access to tobacco through social sources. Thank you for your leadership in creating a healthy community.

www.ansrmn.org

June 7-13, 2018

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How to beat the dry skin blues sore spots on the skin may be an early sign of an infection. Restoring lost moisture can make the skin softer, smoother, less itchy, and less likely to crack.

By Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD Dr. Crutchfield, I have these tiny bumps all over the backs of my upper arms. My mother and sister have them, too. They seem to be worse when my skin is dry. What is going on with my skin?

The condition is called keratosis pilaris. It can be present at any time, but appears worse when the skin is dry.

Dry skin and keratosis pilaris are very common.

Dry skin can occur at any age and for many reasons. In skin of color, dry skin can appear white or grey and is often called “ashy.” Keratosis pilaris is an inherited skin condition that develops in almost half of the population. Sometimes a dermatologist’s help is necessary to get relief from both dry skin and keratosis pilaris.

What causes dry skin?

Skin can become dry when it loses too much water or oil. Skin generally becomes drier as we age, during the winter, and in low-humidity climates such as the desert. It is essential to put lotion on immediately after bathing or showering to minimize dry skin.

Dry skin can have the following symptoms: • Rough, scaly, or flaking skin • Itching • Gray, ashy appearance in people of color • Cracks in the skin, which may bleed if severe • Chapped or cracked lips When dry skin cracks, germs can get in through the skin. Once inside, germs can cause an infection. Red,

Tips to care for dry skin • Use warm water. Hot water removes your natural skin oils more quickly.

Warm water is best for washing. Be sure to moisturize after showering.

• Be good to your face. If you have very dry skin, cleanse your face just once a day, at night. In the morning, rinse your face with cool water.

• Use mild soap. Look for a low detergent, mild, fragrance-free soap or cleanser that moisturizes. Avoid deodorant bars, soaps with strong detergents, fragrances, exfoliating products, and products containing alcohol that can strip natural oils from the skin, making it dry.

• Shave after bathing. It is best to shave after bathing when hairs are soft.

Use a shaving cream or gel and, when possible, allow the product to remain on the skin about three minutes before starting to shave.

Shave in the direction that the hair grows. Change razor blades or throw away disposable razors after five to seven shaves to help minimize irritation.

• Moisturize right after washing. A fiveto-10-minute bath or shower adds moisture to the skin. Spending more time in the water often leaves your skin less hydrated than before you started. To retain moisture from a bath or shower, apply an ointment or cream liberally while the skin is still moist, within three minutes of drying off.

• Look at the ingredients in your moisturizer. For very dry skin, a moisturizer that contains shea butter, urea, mineral oil or lactic acid may be helpful. These ingredients help the skin hold water. There are moisturizers with these ingredients available both over-the-counter and by prescription.

• Use a humidifier. Keep the air in your home moist with a humidifier, especially in the dry winter months.

Keratosis pilaris on fair skin • Soothe chapped lips. At bedtime, apply a lip balm that contains petroleum. Other names for this ingredient are petroleum jelly and mineral oil.

• Keep skin protected when outdoors in winter. In the cold, wear a scarf and gloves to help prevent chapped lips and hands.

Keeping your skin well moisturized should improve dry skin. This means applying a moisturizer to your hands, every time, after washing. If the dryness worsens, contact your dermatologist.

What can happen if my skin gets too dry?

In some people, areas of extremely dry skin can lead to other skin conditions such as dermatitis or keratosis pilaris.

Dermatitis: Dermatitis means inflammation of the skin. It can cause an itchy rash or patches of dry skin.

When dermatitis is present, your dermatologist may prescribe a medication such as a corticosteroid medication (a type of cortisone) or an immune modulator medicine (such as tacrolimus or pimecrolimus). Applied to the affected skin, these medications can relieve the itch, redness and swelling. Regular use of a moisturizer can help avoid dermatitis flares.

How health inequities hit our pocketbooks

The economic case for reducing disparities in prevention and treatment

By Charles Hallman Senior Staff Writer Minnesota’s health inequities annually cost the state at least $2 billion, according to a new Blue Cross Blue Shield report.

The study, released in April and commissioned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota, says that hundreds of lives could be saved and healthcare costs could be lowered annually if health inequities were addressed in Minnesota –especially in communities of color where such inequities are disproportionately found.

The report breakdown predicts that annually 766 lives could be saved, employment increased for 1,034 workers, and 56 weeks gained in increased productivity for a total economic value of $2.26 billion saved in Minnesota. It also noted that people of color face significant health challenges compared to the general population: Blacks suffer from diabetes, kidney, liver and heart disease 1.5 times the rate of the general population.

The comparable numbers in other communities of color are, for Native Americans, four to six times; for Asians, three times, and for Latinos, 1.2 times.

Furthermore, the report points out that the $2.26 billion, if saved, could be used to build 54 new hospitals, 15 new high schools, provide annual assisted living costs for more than 47,000 people, and cover annual nursing home costs for over 25,000 people.

As a result, legislators, policymakers and business people are urged to seriously look at the report’s findings and begin working with communities of color “to identify solutions that address the root causes of death and diseases,” Blue Cross Vice President of Community Health and Health Equity Janelle Waldock said in an MSR phone interview.

“It is the first time we found…how much the inequities are costing us,” she pointed out. “I can’t help but feel taken aback on what a big number that is. It is surprising and quite sobering. We should all care about it because it is hitting our pocketbooks.

“We believe strongly that communities of color have to be part of the solution” in addressing health inequities, Waldock said. “We don’t have all the answers, but the communities themselves have the knowledge and the power, and it’s the role of our organization to help communities.

“We think the leadership in these communities are the most powerful [voices] to be part of the solution,” said Waldock.

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

Janelle Waldock

Photo courtesy of Blue Cross

Keratosis pilaris on brown skin Keratosis pilaris: As described above, keratosis pilaris is tiny, skincolored or slightly red bumps that give the skin a texture like sandpaper.

Sometimes called “chicken skin,” keratosis pilaris occurs most often when the skin becomes very dry. Some people only have keratosis pilaris flareups when their skin becomes very dry.

Most common in children and teens, the bumps appear on the upper arms and thighs. In children, they are common on the cheeks and can be mistaken for acne. Each tiny bump is a plug of dead skin cells.

Keratosis pilaris sometimes itches, mainly during the winter and in lowhumidity climates. When humidity increases, usually during the summer, the skin becomes less itchy and the bumps become less red and less noticeable.

Treating keratosis pilaris Keratosis pilaris is harmless, however you may want to seek treatment to relieve the itch or improve the appearance of these tiny bumps.

Many dermatologists consider keratosis pilaris normal. When conditions are normal, they are difficult to treat, because they are normal! But one can make keratosis pilaris look better.

Moisturizers may help with the dryness and itch. Creams that contain urea or lactic acid are often effective moisturizers. Moisturizers do not generally clear the bumps. A mild chemical exfoliant, either a product containing salicylic acid or alpha-hydroxy acid or those prescribed or recommended by a dermatologist, can effectively remove the excess dead skin and get rid of the bumps. Topical (applied-to-the-skin) retinoids also may help.

In my practice I recommend a three-step approach to improving keratosis pilaris: 1. a botanical oil antioxidant lotion followed by 2. an anti-inflammatory cream, followed by 3. an alpha-hydroxy smoothing and moisturizing lotion.

Though keratosis pilaris can be improved, patients must treat keratosis pilaris on a regular basis to prevent its return. Some patients respond to treatment better than others. Nevertheless, a dermatologist can offer many treatments and suggestions to improve dry skin and keratosis pilaris.

Reference: American Academy of Dermatology Patient Information Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD is a board certified dermatologist and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He also has a private practice in Eagan, MN. He received his M.D. and Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology and Genomics from the Mayo Clinic. He has been selected as one of the top 10 dermatologists in the United States by Black Enterprise magazine. Dr. Crutchfield was recognized

by Minnesota Medicine as one of the 100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in Minnesota. He is the team dermatologist for the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Lynx. Dr. Crutchfield is an active member of both the American and National Medical Associations, and president of the Minnesota Association of Black Physicians.

Sister Spokesman is taking a vacation in July We look forward to seeing you

August 4th as we sail into the sunset on the

Legacy Boat Cruise!

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June 7-13, 2018

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.

LGBTQ of color being bleached from Movement Reverend Irene Monroe

By Rev. Irene Monroe Contributing Commentator I like to say there was something in the air at Pride 2017, as it was one of the most contentious in the event’s history. Many, however, in our LGBTQ communities say the tension was always present.

Pride parades will be taking place across the country this month. And, as we all rev up for this year’s festivities, so, too, will the fault lines of race, gender identity and class emerge.

In addition to the main Pride events taking place in many major cities and towns, there will be segments of our communities — from women to trans people to people of color — holding their own.

argue that the gulf between Whites and themselves is also about how the dominant queer community rewrote and continued to control the history of Stonewall.

The Stonewall Riot of June 27-29, 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York City, started on the backs of working-class African American and Latinx queers who patronized that bar.

Those Brown and Black LGBTQ people are not only absent from the photos of that night, but they are also bleached from its written history. Because of the bleaching, the beginning of the LGBTQ movement post-Stonewall is an appropriation of a Black, Brown, trans, and queer liberation narrative. And, it is the deliberate visible absence of these African American, Latino, and API LGBTQ people that makes it harder, if not near impossible, for LGBTQ communities to build trusted

Pride is about the varied expressions of the life, gifts, and talents of the entire community.

Pride is about the varied expressions of the life, gifts, and talents of the entire community. But the divisions in our communities during Pride also show us something troubling and broken within ourselves. And, last year a Black queer resistance rose up — across the country and beyond — denouncing the glib notion that “gay is the new Black.”

For example, last year, Philadelphia memorably had a controversy over its new Pride flag. Black and brown stripes were added to the rainbow flag as part of the city’s campaign “More Color More Pride” to visibly include people of color in the celebrations.

Sadly, the growing distance between our larger White LGBTQ community and LGBTQ communities of color is shown by how, for example, a health issue like HIV/AIDS, which was once an entire LGBTQ community problem, is now predominately impacting communities of color.

LGBTQ people of African descent have focused not only on HIV/AIDS and samesex marriage but also unemployment, housing, gang violence, and LGBTQ youth homelessness, to name a few.

Many LGBTQ people of African descent and Latinos

coalitions with white LGBTQ communities.

With advances such as hate crime laws, legalization of same-sex marriage across the country, and with homophobia viewed as a national concern, the LGBTQ movement has come a long way since the first Pride March in 1969.

Many laud the distance the LGBTQ community has traveled in such a short time from a disenfranchised group on the fringe of America’s mainstream to a community now embraced. But, not all members of our community have crossed the finish line. Some are waving the cautionary finger that within our community not all are equal. And Pride events can be public displays of those disparities.

Cultural acceptance is just one of a few things LGBTQ people of color do not experience. Many Pride celebrations are predominately White, and many LGBTQ of color revelers experience social exclusion and invisibility within these spaces. After decades of Pride events where many LGBTQ people of color tried to be included and weren’t, Black, Asian and Latino Pride events were born.

tions.

For example, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the “Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission” case. The court ruled in favor of Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker who refused to make a custom cake for a same-sex couple due to his religious beliefs.

Since President Trump has taken office, there has been an erosion of LGBTQ civil rights under the guise of religious liberty. There are bills called Religious Freedom Restoration Acts that are a backlash to the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage.

Lawmakers want to use them to codify LGBTQ discrimination to justify denying us services on state and local levels, and Trump is in lockstep with these discriminatory practices.

Meanwhile, transgender Americans being denied access to public lavatories is eerily reminiscent of the country’s Jim Crow era, denying African Americans access to lunch counters, water fountains, and, libraries, gas stations, theaters, and restrooms.

Then there are the laws passed in Kansas and Oklahoma that allow adoption agencies to refuse to place children in the homes of families they find morally reprehensible (a.k.a. us).

Where do we go from here?

Where we go from here now, in my opinion, is in recognizing the need to network and build coalitions beyond one’s immediate communities; thus, creating an intersectional social justice activism throughout our cities and towns to foster healthy and wholesome communities.

While Pride events are still fraught with divisions, at their core, Pride events are an invitation for communities to connect their political activism with their celebratory acts of song and dance in its continued fight for justice. They should highlight the multicultural aspect of joy and celebration that symbolizes not only our uniqueness as individuals and communities but also affirms our varied expressions of LGBTQIA life in America.

Rev. Irene Monroe is a Huffington Post blogger and freelance journalist.

Fighting among ourselves As we feud with one another this is what is at stake — the erosion of our protec-

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Roseanne Barr ape slur, far from harmless, has a profoundly racist history Mellaneous

By Mel Reeves Contributing Commentator The racist Roseanne Barr tweet implying that Valerie Jarrett is an ape revisits the hard to die trope of Africans as apes. But, underneath the slur is something profoundly diabolical. It not only suggests that Blacks are inherently inferior to Whites, but also implies that since they are animals, unlike regular human beings, they have no history — recorded or otherwise.

Evolution suggests all humans descended from apes, but the racist rationale behind Blacks as apes or monkeys suggests that, unlike the supposedly superior White race, the Black race did not just descend from animals, they remained animals — in this case, simians.

Simians have no written or oral history. And needless to say, if one has no history, then it is only reasonable to assume that one has not made any contribution to the advancement of civilization.

There are those who have tried to dismiss Barr’s reference to Jarrett as just a joke, but few things are less funny than this cruel and calculated lie, which was used to continue to justify the enslavement, neo-enslavement and, later, the second class status conferred on Black people.

This lie opened the door for the thievery, rape, murder and terror that was visited upon Black people to maintain White Supremacy and its handmaiden capitalism.

ican history is slavery. It explains why African history is seldom taught in public schools, which by its omission reinforces the idea of Blacks as animals and, thus, monkeys and apes — because after all, if they have no history, ‘what else could they be?’

Frantz Fanon, the famous psychologist and Algerian revolutionary, explains in his book Wretched of the Earth how European colonialists sought to consolidate their power by convincing the native that he/she is inferior to the colonialist and that colonization was the natural order of the universe.

In describing European colonialism’s efforts (which is comparative to the situation Blacks find themselves in capitalist America), he wrote, “Every effort is made to make the colonized confess the inferiority of their culture, … to acknowledge the unreality of their nation and, in the last extreme, to admit the disorganized, halffinished nature of their own biological makeup.”

Unsurprisingly, the Belgian colonizers of the Congo used the racist term “macaques” (monkeys) to refer to Blacks and “macacos” was the pejorative for Blacks in Portuguese Africa.

Incidentally, former President Barack Obama and his family were caricatured as apes, probably more than any Black couple in recent memory. Ironically, it was nearly impossible to disparage them socially.

The Obama’s were good parents, happily married, accomplished, learned and professional and their children were well mannered and cultured. In social standing, it would be fair to say that they were clearly a few notches above the average White person.

It not only suggests that Blacks are inherently inferior to Whites, but also implies that since they are animals, unlike regular human beings, they have no history.

The history of Blacks as apes or monkeys owes its start not to poor, unlettered, backwoods rednecks, but rather refined, wealthy and highly educated White people who invented so-called scientific racism in which Europeans sought to prove the inferiority of Blacks, ostensibly to justify their enslavement of Africans.

In 1854, Josiah Clark Nott and George Robins Gliddon published Types of Mankind which implied that Negroes were “a creational rank between “Greeks” and chimpanzees.” Their spurious theories were viewed as fact and became accepted as truth by the U.S. public which was mired in a debate over slavery. The book seemed to tip the scales in favor of slavery, which, as the propaganda implied, was the Blacks’ natural state.

In 1851, Louisiana physician Samuel Cartwright suggested that Blacks did not have sense enough to recognize that chattel slavery was not in their best interest but ran away to escape slavery because they were suffering from “mental illness.” Cartwright invented a term for it: “drapetomania.” He had a cure! He explained that, “with proper medical advice, strictly followed, this troublesome practice that many Negroes have of running away can be almost entirely prevented.”

Charles Darwin, who lent legitimacy to racist quacks with his book The Descent of Man wrote that, “the Negros are so distinct that similar differences found in any other animal would warrant their classification as a different species.”

According to the tenets of social Darwinism, the advance of industrialization by White ruling classes and European domination of much of the globe through colonialism was considered, as one social scientist put it, “proof of the evolutionary superiority of the white race.”

Paradoxically, the promulgators of this cruel myth claim that, despite being animals, Africans/Blacks have some history, but it began with their contact with Europeans/Whites.

In the U.S., the beginning of African Amer-

But, White Supremacy sought to level the racial playing field by asserting that even those who have nothing, even so-called “Poor White Trash” are better than the “apes” that resides in the White House. Theodore Allen explained it as “the reduction of all members of the oppressed group to one undifferentiated social status, beneath that of any member of the oppressor group.”

A recent pyschologytoday.com article “What’s so wrong about Roseanne Barr’s tweet” pointed out that the idea of Blacks as apes is unconsciously buried in the psyches of Whites and non-Whites and is constantly reinforced in the culture.

According to the article, “Such unconscious associations likely exist because of subtle suggestions in our environment that come from jokes and comments (like Roseanne Barr’s), television, movies, and magazine covers (for example, the controversy over LeBron James’ 2008 Vogue cover photo). But, wherever they come from, the point is that even though we are not consciously aware of these associations residing within us, they can still be activated outside of our awareness and subsequently, guide our behavior.”

As the great Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, murdered by U.S. and European imperialism’s drive-by killers (the CIA and others), said in his speech declaring the independence of Congo in 1960, while looking his former Belgian colonialists in the eye, “we are no longer your monkeys!” And, those willing to fight for a society devoid of these racists myths are going to have to be willing to pull them up from their roots! justice, then peace Mel Reeves welcomes reader responses at mellaneous19@yahoo.com.

June 7-13, 2018

Faith

cans] tend to get comfortable and not step outside of our comfort zones,” she said.

For her, that meant pursuing a role outside of her comfort level with Ramsey County as a workforce innovation and opportunity manager.

Continued from page 1

for the college in May. Being a first did not come without its challenges. When Hughes took the role in December of last year, her position was originally only contracted for six months as an interim dean.

“Talk about stepping out on faith,” said Hughes. “I left a permanent job for a job that [I] might not even get. I have seen it happen. I could do all this work and I still might not get hired.”

But, as a woman of faith, she decided to step out on just that – faith. And, it paid off.

Faith and perseverance have been common themes in Hughes’ life, which has been no stranger to obstacles. While attending Grambling University, the South Minneapolis native became pregnant at the age of 19. She also faced financial hardships, which led her to live off public assistance for a while.

“Your whole life shifts when you have a child at 19,” said Hughes.

“Your life and your plans for your life have completely shifted. I knew [this moment] was an eye opener, but that also meant I needed to think how I would still carry out the things for my

Trailblazer Continued from page 1

first to get athletic scholarships,” Chavers pointed out. “The coach offered me a full scholarship.” She played at LeMoyne-Owen, but her hoop career was almost grounded even before it could start. “[I’d] gotten into some other things, [and] I was facing three to 10 years in the penitentiary,” Chavers said. “I went back to Coach [Virgie Broussard] and I said, ‘Coach, I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but I am in a situation, in trouble, and it’s my own fault. But, I don’t want that scholarship to go to waste. Somebody else can have that opportunity.’

“She said, ‘Let me worry about it.’ I had no idea what she was talking about.”

But, at her case hearing, “The judge said, ‘I see that you never have been in trouble before. I see you accepted Christ.

I also see that you have been offered a full scholarship to LeMoyne Owen College. Do you like to play basketball?

I’ll tell you what – you have two years of probation and I want to see your name in the sports section.’”

Chavers later learned that Broussard had written a

Nerita Hughes life that I have always dreamt about.”

More determined than ever, she went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in business management at the National American University and her Master of Business Administration from St. Mary’s University.

She then worked as a customized training representative at North Hennepin Community College (NHCC).

This role placed her on the non-academic side of higher education. She

character letter to the judge, speaking on her behalf – a gesture she has not forgotten to this day as she prepares to enter the Hall of Fame.

“Literally, since that day, I’ve been doing everything I possibly can” to be positive, said Chavers. “I tell the kids, ‘Do you think I could be a teacher today?’ No, you can’t have a record and do what I do today.”

After playing one season of college ball, she said she opted for the WBL. “I wanted to see if I could play against the [Nancy] Liebermans, the Lusia Harrises, Ann Meyers, and all these people that I had heard about,” Chavers said.

After the league folded, Chavers stayed in the area, earned two education degrees, and has taught in Minneapolis Public Schools for 27 years – 14 of them at Green Central.

She was the district’s first Black female girls’ high school basketball coach at North High School in the early 1990s. Her Green Central office is adorned with hoop memorabilia, photos, Minnesota Lynx championship towels and other honors, including her 2015 Teacher of the Year trophy.

She also is an unabashed Minnesota Lynx fan. As their unofficial ‘coach’ at home games, Chavers’ voice can be heard loud and clear. And

said working at NHCC was great because “I wanted to work in an academic setting, and it would prepare me to work in a higher level.”

Although working in academia helped shape her career path, Hughes said her skills were not fully utilized early on in her career. She also longed to get into workforce development or workforce equity, so she pushed harder.

“A lot of times, we [African Ameri-

now she is set to welcome one more honor – becoming a Hall of Famer.

“I am really looking forward to seeing people I haven’t seen since 1981,” Chavers said, trying to stay composed. She expects her mother, family members and friends, high school and college classmates and other well-wishers to be with her during the festivities. “I am going to probably have the biggest contingent there,” she predicted.

“I’d rather be a trailblazer,” she said of the award. “It’s nothing like being the first,” Chavers said. “[And] going in with the winningest lady ballers [of] all time” she said of Holdsclaw, Thompson and Smith’s induction this weekend, “I know I am going to have a ball. I’m not holding anything back when I get down there.”

Chavers is also taking one of her souvenir WNBA balls with her to Knoxville, where she will seek out autographs from her fellow Hall of Fame members. “Each day that goes by, I catch myself smiling,” she said. “I still can’t believe it. It is still sinking in.”

■

Read more on Tonyus Chavers in this week’s MSR sports section.

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

Phone: 612-827-4021

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She said the position was “instrumental in my growth and preparation for my current role.”

Her strategy for success going forward?

“First, I start my day off with prayer,” said Hughes. “I also bring my authentic self to work.

“I know that I have to bring myself differently, and in some cases, make sure that when I am articulating something it does not come across as the ‘angry Black woman’... I have been able to master that. I have been able to be very clear by bringing facts and data.”

Hughes is also working on her

University system – that looked like me. Let alone, vaguely, any executive level [administration] that looked like me,” she said.

“I said to myself, ‘When you work in an environment with a 50 percent student of color population, we have to be seen in these types of positions.’

We need to be seen above and beyond the classroom and [custodial] positions. There is nothing wrong with these positions, but our [children] need to know, yes, you can do it.”

Brandi Phillips welcomes reader responses to bphillips@spokesmanrecorder.com.

All photos by Chris Juhn

for senior citizens and hopes to recruit investors to help expand the holistic early childhood development program.

Continued from page 1 Freeman said people often tell her that she works too hard but it is just in her DNA. “It’s about doing the very best that I can do. That’s to our community to create businesses that what it’s more about for me, so at the end of sustain generational and community wealth. the day I can say I did my best… to create This is the way we are going to help our com- something that was intentional for me – helping people and changing lives.” munities rise. I’m unapologetic about that.”

Freeman said her focus is now on expandKeith Schubert welcomes reader responses to ing her businesses. She has plans to open up her second residential assisted living home kschubert@spokesman-recorder.com.

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doctorate in education and leadership at St. Mary’s. She anticipates graduating in spring or summer 2019. Her position as dean is the next step in her journey towards her ultimate goal of becoming president of a college in Minnesota.

“That was the reason that I decided to pursue my doctorate. I saw there were no college presidents – at least in the Minnesota State College and

“I left a permanent job for a job that I might not even get.”

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For In-Depth News Comprehensive Event Listings Community Resources Visit us at: L Keiji Narikawa (left) and James Cross hold up the needles collected from the day’s cleanup before packing and sending away for disposal. ers in them. They picked up the needles as well as other refuse used to snort and Continued from page 1 smoke drugs.

The group found a needle just a few feet away from a After feeding pizza and Minneapolis resident’s home. water to the homeless and Greg Franson also found hungry, the group of rough- empty syringe wrappers in ly 30-40 men and women his yard.

Franson, who has been sopulled on gloves and began their journey through the ber for the past six months, neighborhood. Their first lifted a rock where a plastic bag was hidden. Understop: a nearby alley.

Member L. Keiji Narika- neath he found, among othwa immediately found seven ers things, a stash of drugs, needles at the entrance to the a candle and needles. “They alley. As they walked, they like to stash things under found many more. Some of rocks so they don’t have their the syringes still had drugs stuff on them” he explained.

The group collected nearas well as blood from the us-

Addiction

ly 20 needles behind an abandoned home. “I found one in the mailbox” said one of the women as they searched the area.

Needle and syringe collection differs city by city. The MPCA advises the general public to contact the local police department for proper disposal of discarded needles.

Stephenetta Harmon, MSR Editor-In-Chief, contributed to this story.

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6

June 7-13, 2018

The MSR celebrates Black Music Month All through the month of June, the MSR will devote our entertainment pages to highlight African American musicians in celebration of Black Music Month.

Black Music Month began after Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and Dyana Williams came up with the idea to set aside a month to celebrate the impact of Black music.

The group successfully lobbied President Jimmy Carter to host a reception June 7, 1979, to formally recognize the cultural and financial contributions of Black music. Each president since then has announced the June observance.

The makings of a genius

or another. Nothing was going to stop him.”

T

he print date for this issue of MSR also happens to mark what would have been the 60th birthday of Prince Rogers Nelson. As Prince’s faith journey ultimately led him away from celebrating birthdays, I will respect his beliefs and refrain from wishing him a happy one here.

As fate would have it, however, the month of June also happens to be Black Music Month, which by a bit of cosmic irony was first declared by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979, Prince’s 21st birthday.

Prince’s 2007 halftime show is still widely cited by critics as one of the best.

So in recognition of the 39th anniversary Credit: NFL/MGN of Black Music Month, let us use make full use of this column’s chief purpose and hon- It’s almost like he can do it all… [Prince and Mi- son declared as much on his own album, “I or of —if not the — greatest musicians of all chael] are both motherf*#ers, but I like Prince a lit- always thought I was bad. I wouldn’t have gotten into the business if I didn’t think I was tle better as an all-around musical force. time: Minnesota’s favorite son, Prince.

Similar praise has been repeatedly be- bad.”

Reflecting on Prince’s greatness, I am sometimes reminded of what Miles Davis, stowed on Prince by other legends that inwho referred to Prince as the most exciting clude Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Maceo thing around during the 1980s, wrote in his Parker, Joni Mitchell, and Chaka Khan, just to name a handful.

1990 autobiography: When asked about such acclaim, Prince Prince is from the school of James Brown…

But Prince got some Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hen- once commented that no one is better than drix and Sly in him, even Little Richard. He’s B:5.5” a anyone else. But, Prince also famously said T:5.25”in 1985, a full two years before Michael Jackmixture of all those guys and Duke Ellington…

When producer Chris Moon later told Owen Husney that he’d heard “the next Stevie Wonder,” Husney was skeptical. That is until he, himself, heard the demo that moved him to become Prince’s first manager. He cited not only his musical gifts and extreme intellect, but the determination in his eye which he likened to a “young Little Richard.” Warner Bros. Records, while in pursuit of Prince, would discover just how focused and resolute his vision for his own career was.

Did you know the executives at Warners had arranged for Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire to produce Prince’s first album?

Although a big fan of EWF, Prince insisted that he produce himself or he would simply walk away from the deal. Pepé remembers Prince telling him, “I’ve studied Maurice.

What he does is great. But it is not what I want to do.”

The label conceded and assigned Tommy Vicari to serve as executive producer, but Prince essentially ignored Vicari and assumed complete control of Sausalito’s Record Plant in the making of his debut album For You. On the occasion that label representatives from Los Angeles flew up to assess Prince’s progress in the studio, one of them questioned the absence of a bass line on a particu-

Must be 18+ to play.

The new I’MN to Win scratch game has a top prize of $100,000.

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Prince on the front page of the MSR in 1981 T:10.5”

B:10.75”

Now, whether or not one subjectively believes Prince to be the best ever (as do I), it seems irrefutable that his genius, prolific nature, innovation, and inimitable charisma have left an indelible and unparalleled impact on our culture, both here in America and across the globe.

With that in mind, I would like to use the next four columns during Black Music Month to muse over just some of the things that made Prince so amazing, starting with the one thing that was a perfect complement to his otherworldly talent: his drive.

An insatiable drive Several of those who encountered Prince in his teenage years were able to ascertain his ambition almost instantly. Pepé Willie, who came to know the young Prince through his marriage to Prince’s cousin Shauntel Manderville, was the first person to ever take Prince (as well as André Cymone) into a professional studio to record with his band 94 East.

When discussing the 17-year-old Prince’s guitar work on the tracks that are today known as the legendary “Cookhouse Five,” Pepé and his other bandmates were floored.

And it wasn’t only Prince’s talent, but his discipline, professionalism, and relentless work ethic that would lead Pepé to reflect, “Prince was going to make it in this business one way MNL201800027_IMNTicket_MSR_5-25x10-5_200dpi.indd 1

5/3/18 5:42 PM

MSR file photo lar song Prince was mixing. At that moment, as Husney has notoriously recalled numerous times over the years, Prince ordered everyone out of the studio, which included his “bosses” from Warner Bros.

When For You was released on April 7, 1978, its liner notes reveal that Prince performed all vocals and all instruments (26 in total) and the phrase “Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince” was born.

From the very beginning, Prince refused to be subject to any creative or stylistic boundaries whatsoever. Moreover, as Prince told Detroit DJ The Electrifying Mojo on the eve of his 28th birthday, he was always driven to do things his way as it “usually is the best way.”

And this is just one of the things that made him so great, so transcendent.

Check MSRNewsOnline.com for more from Purple Music: Musings on the Minneapolis Sound throughout Black Music Month and beyond.

Tony Kiene’s experience in the Twin Cities nonprofit and entertainment industries includes work with Minneapolis Urban League, Penumbra Theatre, Hallie Q. Brown, and Pepé Music.

He welcomes reader responses to tkiene@ spokesman-recorder.com.

June 7-13, 2018

7

The MSR celebrates Black Music Month All through the month of June, the MSR will devote our entertainment pages to highlight African American musicians in celebration of Black Music Month.

Black Music Month began after Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and Dyana Williams came up with the idea to set aside a month to celebrate the impact of Black music.

The group successfully lobbied President Jimmy Carter to host a reception June 7, 1979, to formally recognize the cultural and financial contributions of Black music. Each president since then has announced the June observance.

Rap music’s path from pariah to Pulitzer

“We hate po-po,” he raps in “Alright.” “Wanna kill us dead in the street fo sho.”

The criticism hasn’t abated, either. On a June 29, 2015 segment of Fox News, host Geraldo Rivera criticized “Alright,” arguing that “Hip hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.”

Lamar responded by saying that “Hip hop is not the problem. Our reality is the problem.”

Despite a drumbeat of criticism, hip hop has been increasingly recognized by other mainstream award shows. Rapper Eminem and the rap group Three 6 Mafia have won Oscars. Hip hop artists are also being voted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Tupac the most recent rapper to join the ranks. In 2017, the Kennedy Center Honors recognized rapper and actor LL Cool J — the first time they’ve honored a hip hop artist.

Kendrick Lamar accepts the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger.

Photo by Eileen Barroso/Columbia University

By Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey Contributing Writer

K

endrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize win is a major milestone for hip hop, a genre that celebrates its 45th birthday this August.

It’s also a triumph that many, a mere decade ago, would have never predicted. As someone who teaches and studies the politics of hip hop and rap, I was pleasantly surprised myself.

I thought of hip hop’s early years, when some were adamant that the genre — disparaged as “pornographic filth” — would be a flash in the pan.

It was no fad, however; its music soon gained more and more mainstream acceptance.

The story of hip hop is one of rebellion, attempts at censorship and, finally, artistic acceptance.

Rap meets success — then resistance Hip hop traces its roots to the Bronx in the early 1970s. At first, rap music — with its focus on rhymed storytelling — didn’t play a big role. Instead, there are at least four traditional elements of hip hop culture: DJing, graffiti art, breakdancing and emceeing.

Today, however, rap is the most prominent feature of hip hop culture. The central tenet of its style — rhyming over beats — can be traced back to the political poets of the Black Arts Movement, with lyricists like Gil Scott Heron using their voices as a form of resistance in the early 1970s.

later arrested for performing songs from the album in Broward County, along with store owners who continued to sell it. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals eventually overturned the ruling on the basis of freedom of speech.

A big focus of critics were anti-police lyrics, which started to appear most prominently in the late 1980s. Many described the police harassment, racial profiling and police brutality that plagued inner-city neighborhoods across the country.

However, the lyrics of the group N.W.A. attracted the most attention — specifically, their song “F*#k tha Police,” which directly denounced the police in unequivocal terms.

Police unions denounced the song’s lyrics; some departments refused to provide security during N.W.A. shows, while the FBI sent a letter to the group’s label, Priority Records, calling the lyrics “discouraging and degrading to these brave, dedicated officers.”

Because of these headlinegrabbing controversies, it was easy for critics to discount rap as a nihilistic genre that wallowed in misogyny, self-harm and violence.

Often overlooked was the way rap music resonated with marginalized, alienated inner-city youth by detailing their daily lives in ways most media outlets wouldn’t — or couldn’t.

Like slave narratives, rap music has given an authentic and candid voice to the voiceless.

Rap wouldn’t receive commercial success until the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” (1979). Later, Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks” (1980) also reached the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 87 and No. 4 on the Hot Hip Hop/R&B Chart. This was followed by the first political rap song — 1982’s “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

While rap music often explored important issues like the trauma of poverty and addiction, the lyrics also depicted violence and veered into misogyny. As rap’s popularity grew, so did criticism — both inside and outside of the Black community.

In 1993, Rev. Calvin Butts of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church organized a protest against rap music in which attendees steamrolled rap albums. “We will not stand for vile, ugly, low, abusive and rough music,” he said.

In other instances, the courts tried to intervene A Florida U.S. District Court ruled that Luther Campbell and 2 Live Crew’s 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be was legally obscene, and a number of Florida record stores were banned from selling it. Members of 2 Live Crew were

Chuck D of Public Enemy called rap “the invisible TV station that Black America never had.” Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters was one of the few politicians who recognized its power. In 1994, she came to rap’s defense.

“It would be a foolhardy mistake,” she said, “to single out poets as the cause of America’s problems. … These are our children and they’ve invented a new art form to describe their pains, fears and frustrations with us as adults.”

The Grammys have a contentious and inconsistent history with rap. The first hip hopthemed award was “Best Rap Performance,” presented to the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in 1989 for their song “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

However, the Grammys didn’t air this award during the show’s television coverage — a decision that

compelled DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and other hip-hop artists to boycott the ceremony.

In 1993, rap group Arrested Development was awarded the best new artist. Two years later, the Grammys recognized female hip hop artists for the first time, with Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa each winning an award. But only two rap albums have won the coveted album of the year: Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which was categorized as a R&B album, and Southern rap duo Outkast’s Speakerboxx/ Love Below.

Today, many of the same dynamics are at play. Police brutality is still a common theme of rap music, Kendrick Lamar’s work included.

Rap gets another ally – in the White House President Barack Obama played a big role in the genre’s acceptance. Even before he officially announced his candidacy for the presidency, Obama held closed meetings with rap artists such as Ludacris to discuss youth empowerment. In 2016, he hosted Kendrick Lamar at the White House.

Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, there were attempts to censor slave narratives; because they detailed the harsh realities of slavery in the South, critics questioned their authenticity and accuracy. Eventually, more and more recognized the value of these narratives, and the federal government dispatched writers to record the stories of surviving slaves in the 1930s.

Over the past few decades, we’ve seen a similar dynamic with rap music. While some have attempted to silence rap because of its raw portrayal of life in inner-city communities, people increasingly see its value. Like slave narratives, rap music has given an authentic and candid voice to the voiceless.

For his part in this tradition, Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize is well-deserved.

This story was originally published on The Conversation and was edited for space in print. Visit MSRNewsOnline.com for the full article.

8

June 7-13, 2018

​Beyond skin deep: Sister Spokesman talks Black beauty and dollars

“I walked through a process of owning that,” said Pillow of discovering her curl power. “It’s deeper than wearing my curls; it’s owning what we’ve been given,” she said.

Sprinkled in between the discussion, shopping and prize giveaways were five-minute demos from vendors MSDENISHIA and Anika Robbins offering tips on finding the right shade of lip color and easy and safe makeup application.

Another highlight of the day was Brandi Phillips of Wellife 360, who took things up a notch with five-minute workday exercises that got everyone up and moving to beats by DJ Lazy T. Go to MSRNewsOnline.com for a video stream of “The Business of Beauty” and for more photos by Steve Floyd.

(l-r) Stephenetta Harmon poses a question to the panelists.

By Paige Elliott Online/Entertainment Editor

S

ister Spokesman took a holistic approach to the topic of Black beauty at its most recent afternoon soirée. From makeup and fitness tips to a conversation on intentional and well-informed beauty consumerism, the afternoon was a flurry of activity with much food for thought.

The event, held at LifeSource in North Minneapolis on Saturday, June 2, centered on a panel discussion on the business of beauty moderated

by MSR Editor-in-Chief and Sadiaa Hair + Beauty Guide founder Stephenetta Harmon.

“Black women spend $2 billion on beauty products. We outspend our White counterparts by 90 percent,” Harmon informed the crowd. But are Black business owners seated at the table when it comes to the dollars made in the beauty industry?

owned, but were bought out by Koreans or other people and now we are not truly benefitting…

We’re not sowing into our own communities.”

Coffey continued, “You can’t go to a Black business one time and say, ‘Well, I supported.’ We have to continue to keep it in our mind, like, ‘I’m going to purchase this — where can I purchase it from where the money will benefit me and from people who care about me, people who will hire me, people who want to see me do well?”

Delaney shared a bit of her journey and why she felt the need to create the Twin Cities Natural Hair & Beauty Expo. “It’s all about sisterhood,” she said of the expo, set to take place August 12 at Graduate Minneapolis. “We’re all about coming together on one accord and supporting one another on this journey to remove the stigma that we wore for so long…

“We had to try to look as European as possible to be accepted,” she continued. “I came from a cor-

(l-r) Nicole Pillow, Tracey Williams-Dillard, Karen Coffey, Kelley Eubanks, Tephanie Delaney All photos by Steve Floyd

(l-r) Nicole Pillow, Karen Coffey and Tephanie Delaney The expert panel, consisting of Kelley Eubanks and Tephanie Delaney, founders of the upcoming Twin Cities Natural Hair & Beauty Expo; Karen Coffey, owner of Bella Beauty and Hair; and Nicole Pillow, founder of the Inner Beauty Project, weighed in on some of their trials and triumphs as beauty industry entrepreneurs.

“I think Black consumers need to be more consistent and intentional about where they purchase [from] and what they purchase,” said Coffey. “A lot of natural hair care products used to be Black-

Sponsored by Minnesota’s Black Community Project

Minnesota’s Black Community Project, a nonprofit organization in Minnesota that exists to applaud and celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans in Minnesota, is hosting an open house at the Hennepin County Central Library in Downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, June 23, 2018 from 10 am – 2 pm to: 1) raise awareness of a new book project they are putting together entitled Minnesota’s Black Community Project: The 21st Century; and 2) invite professional African Americans in the Twin Cities to be a part of this groundbreaking book project.

African American professionals in the Twin Cities who want to be featured in this exciting forthcoming publication must meet one of the following criteria: 1. Be currently working in one of the professions below in the 21st century in Minnesota, or 2. Be retired from one of the professions below in the 21st century.

Individuals who meet either of these criteria will have their photographs taken and short bios written on

Sister Spokesman will take a break in July to prepare for the Fourth Annual Legacy Boat Cruise Fundraiser on August 4. For tickets, visit MSRNewsOnline.com or Eventbrite.

Paige Elliott welcomes reader responses to pelliott@spokesman-recorder.com.

porate America background; so for many years, I walked that line of acceptance, until I just said, you know what, no more. I am who I am.”

Eubanks also shared her vision for the expo, now in its second year. “For me, [it was important to] create a space to change the narrative and change the mindset of how we view our own hair… It’s a safe space to celebrate it and collab with a lot of other beauty [entrepreneurs] in the industry. It’s really about creating an additional space of solidarity for women so we can celebrate ourselves and have a good time doing it.”

An opportunity to make African American history in Minnesota

By Dr. Chaunda L. Scott Secretary, Minnesota’s Black Community Project

Pillow rounded out the discussion by touching on her own self-discovery and how she came to embrace her natural hair. She shared that, even as she worked as a “beauty cultivator” doing workshops, conferences, and other speaking engagements to help empower women to know their inner beauty, she was reluctant, ashamed, even, to wear her natural curls in public.

site on June 23 free of charge. Note: we are specifically looking for professional African Americans who have retired in the 21st century or are currently working in Minnesota in one of these professions: Beauty and Fashion, Business and Entrepreneurship, Community Services, Education, Entertainment, Fine Arts, Government, Law and Law Enforcement, Media and Communication, Medicine and Health Care, Religion, Rising Stars [young adults ages 18-36], Social Services, Sports, and the STEM fields.

If you meet the conditions above and want to be featured in this forthcoming celebratory publication, please join us on June 23 at the Hennepin County Central Library in Downtown Minneapolis, located at 300 Nicollet Mall. This event will run from 10 am to 2 pm in the Doty Board Room.

For more information about this event, contact: Anthony R. Scott, President Minnesota’s Black Community Project at anthony. scott@comcast.net or 612-578-0171

CORRECTION: The maker of the centerpiece hats in last week’s “Big

Hats=Big Fun” should have been identified as Angie’s Hats.

Worship Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Mount Olivet Missionary Baptist Church

Bethesda Baptist Church

Rev. Arthur Agnew, Pastor

Rev. Billy G. Russell, Sr. Pastor 2600 E. 38th Street.

Mpls., MN 55408 612-827-7928 fax: 612-827-3587 www.greatfriend.org Sunday Morning Worship: 8 am Sunday School: 9 am Morning Worship: 10:40 am N.B.C.: 5:30 pm Evening Worship: 7pm (1st Sunday) www.greatfriend.org The Friendly Church Where Everybody Is Somebody

Rev. James C. Thomas, Pastor 451 West Central St. Paul, MN 55103 651-227-4444 Church School 9:30 am Morning Worship 8 & 10:45 am Prayer Service: Wednesday 7 pm

Pilgrim Baptist Church Rev. Doctor Charles Gill 732 W. Central Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104

Dr. Willa Lee Grant Battle, Pastor 1908 Fourth Ave. So. Mpls., MN 24 Hour Dial-A-Prayer: 612-870-4695 www.gtdci.org Sunday School 9:30 am Sunday Worship 11:30 am Prayer Daily 7 pm Evangelistic Service: Wednesday & Friday 8 pm

Sunday Worship Service: 9:45 AM Sunday School: 8:45 AM

"Welcome to Mt. Olivet Baptist Church" Grace Temple Deliverance Center

At the Old Landmark 1118 So. 8th Street Mpls., MN 55404 612-332-5904

www.bethesdamnonline.com email:bethesdamn@prodigy.net

Service Times: Sunday School 10 am Sunday Worship 11:30 am Wednesday Prayer Meeting, 6 pm Adult Bible Class 7 pm Children's Bible Class 7 pm

Advertise your weekly service, directory or listing!

CALL 612-827-4021

June 7-13, 2018

Legals

Employment

State of Minnesota

District Court

County of Lyon

Fifth Judicial Cour

Alexabdra Henderson, and on Behalf of Minors, Petitioner

NOTICE OF ISSUANCE

vs.

OF HARASSMENT

Ardell L. Howard, Respondent

ORDER FOR RELIEF BY PUBLICATION

TO RESPONDENT NAMED ABOVE: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a Harassment Order for Relief has been issued in the above matter.

You may request a hearing on this matter if you file a Request for Hearing with the Court within 45 days of issuance of the Harassment Order For Relief. You may obtain a copy of the Harassment Order for Relief from the Court Administrator’s office at 607 W. Main St., Marshall MN 56258.

Failure to appear at a scheduled hearing or to obtain a copyof the Harassment Order for Relief will not be a defense to prosecution for violation of the Court’s order.

Date: June 1, 2018

9

Signed: Michelle B. Markegard, Deputy Court Administrator

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder June 7, 2018

State of Minnesota Certificate of Assumed Name Minnesota Statutes Chapter 333 ASSUMED NAME: SLI Government Solutions PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS: 8555 16th St., Suite 800

Silver Spring, NJ 20910 USA NAMEHOLDER: SLI Global Solutions, LLC 8555 16th St., Suite 800

Silver Spring, NJ 20910 USA In whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be 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.

SIGNED BY: James R. Maida, Manager EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL NOTICES: a.koutsouris@gaminglabs.com DATED: 5/15/2018 11:59 PM Minnesota Spokesman Recorder May 31 & June 7, 2018

State of Minnesota Case Type: Dissolution Without Children County of Hennepin District Court With Real Estate Fourth Judicial Court In Re the Marriage of: CASE NO: 27-FA-18-3041 Asmaham Mohamed Ghazal, Petitioner SUMMONS WITHOUT REAL ESTATE and Ahmed Hashim Sharif, Respondent ORDER FOR SERVICE BY ALTERNATIVE MEANS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT: WARNING: YOUR SPOUSE (HUSBAND OR WIFE) HAS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU FOR DISSOLUTION OF YOUR MARRIAGE. A COPY OF THE PAPERWORK REGARDING THE LAWSUIT IS SERVED ON YOU WITH THIS SUMMONS. THIS SUMMONS IS AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FROM THE COURT THAT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS. READ THIS SUMMONS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT, CONTACT AN ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ADVICE. 1. The Petitioner, (your spouse) has filed a lawsuit against you asking for dissolution of your marriage (divorce). A copy of the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is attached to this Summons. 2. You must serve upon Petitioner and file with the Court a written Answer to the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and you must pay the required filing fee. Answer forms are available from the court administrator’s office. You must serve your Answer upon Petitioner within thirty (30) days of the date you were served with this Summons, not counting the day of service. If you do not serve and file your Answer, the Court may give your spouse everything he or she is asking for in the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. 3. This proceeding does not involve real property.

NOTICE OF TEMPORARY RESTRAINING PROVISIONS: Under Minnesota law, service of this summons makes the following requirements apply to both parties to the action, unless they are modified by the Court or the proceeding is dismissed: (1) Neither party may dispose of any assets except (A) for the necessities of life or for the necessary generation of income or preservation of assets, (B) by an agreement of the parties in writing, or (C) for retaining counsel to carry on or to contest this proceeding. (2) Neither party may harass the other party. (3) All currently available insurance coverage must be maintained and continued without change in coverage or beneficiary designation. (4) Parties to a marriage dissolution proceeding are encouraged to attempt alternative dispute resolution pursuant to Minnesota law.

Alternative dispute resolution includes mediation, arbitration and other processes as set forth in the district court rules. You may contact the Court Administrator about resources in your area. If you cannot pay for mediation or alternative dispute resolution, in some counties, assistance may be available to you through a nonprofit provider of a court program. If you are a victim of domestic abuse or threats as defined in Minnesota statutes, Chapter 518B, you are not required to try mediation and you will not be penalized by the Court in later proceedings.

IF YOU VIOLATE ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS

BY THE COURT. Date: 05/8/2018 Signed: Asmahan Mohamed Ghazal

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder May 24 & 31, June 7, 2018 State of Minnesota Case Type: Dissolution Without Children County of Hennepin District Court With Real Estate Fourth Judicial Court In Re the Marriage of:

Gregory John Dettlaff, Petitioner SUMMONS WITH REAL ESTATE and Deborah Scarlett Dettlaff, Respondent ORDER FOR SERVICE BY ALTERNATIVE MEANS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT: WARNING: YOUR SPOUSE (HUSBAND OR WIFE) HAS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU FOR DISSOLUTION OF YOUR MARRIAGE. A COPY OF THE PAPERWORK REGARDING THE LAWSUIT IS SERVED ON YOU WITH THIS SUMMONS. THIS SUMMONS IS AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FROM THE COURT THAT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS. READ THIS SUMMONS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT, CONTACT AN ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ADVICE. 1. The Petitioner, (your spouse) has filed a lawsuit against you asking for dissolution of your marriage (divorce). A copy of the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is attached to this Summons. 2. You must serve upon Petitioner and file with the Court a written Answer to the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and you must pay the required filing fee. Answer forms are available from the court administrator’s office. You must serve your Answer upon Petitioner within thirty (30) days of the date you were served with this Summons, not counting the day of service. If you do not serve and file your Answer, the Court may give your spouse everything he or she is asking for in the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. 3. This proceeding involves, affects, or brings into question the real property located at the following address 8201 Clinton Avenue South in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota, with the following legal description: Lot 16, Block 2, FARR 2nd ADDITION, Hennepin County, Minnesota according to the recorded plat thereof.

NOTICE OF TEMPORARY RESTRAINING PROVISIONS: Under Minnesota law, service of this summons makes the following requirements apply to both parties to the action, unless they are modified by the Court or the proceeding is dismissed: (1) Neither party may dispose of any assets except (A) for the necessities of life or for the necessary generation of income or preservation of assets, (B) by an agreement of the parties in writing, or (C) for retaining counsel to carry on or to contest this proceeding. (2) Neither party may harass the other party. (3) All currently available insurance coverage must be maintained and continued without change in coverage or beneficiary designation. (4) Parties to a marriage dissolution proceeding are encouraged to attempt alternative dispute resolution pursuant to Minnesota law.

Alternative dispute resolution includes mediation, arbitration and other processes as set forth in the district court rules. You may contact the Court Administrator about resources in your area. If you cannot pay for mediation or alternative dispute resolution, in some counties, assistance may be available to you through a nonprofit provider of a court program. If you are a victim of domestic abuse or threats as defined in Minnesota statutes, Chapter 518B, you are not required to try mediation and you will not be penalized by the Court in later proceedings.

IF YOU VIOLATE ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS

BY THE COURT. Date: 04/30/2018 Signed: Gregory John Dettlaff Minnesota Spokesman Recorder June 7, 14 & 21, 2018

NOTICE OF MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE THE RIGHT TO VERIFICATION OF THE DEBT AND IDENTITY OF THE ORIGINAL CREDITOR WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY LAW IS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS ACTION. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that default has occurred in the conditions of the following described mortgage: DATE OF MORTGAGE: July 16, 2010 ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF MORTGAGE: $40,000.00 MORTGAGOR(S): Ronald L. McNichols MORTGAGEE: SharePoint Credit Union DATE AND PLACE OF RECORDING: Recorded with the County Recorder in and for the County of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, on September 13, 2010, as Document No. 9558503 ASSIGNMENTS OF MORTGAGE: Assigned to Blackstone 1, LLC, recorded April 5, 2018, as Document No. 10542273 LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY: Lot 3, Block 5, Hickory Ridge First Addition PROPERTY ADDRESS: 6258 Meadowlark Lane North, Maple Grove, MN 55369 COUNTY IN WHICH PROPERTY IS LOCATED: Hennepin AMOUNT DUE AND CLAIMED TO BE DUE AS OF DATE OF NOTICE, INCLUDING TAXES, IF ANY, PAID BY MORTGAGEE: $35,401.93 THAT there has been compliance with all pre-foreclosure requirements; that no action or proceeding has been instituted at law or otherwise to recover the debt secured by said mortgage, or any part thereof; THAT pursuant to the power of sale contained in said mortgage, the above-described property will be sold by the Sheriff of Hennepin County as follows: DATE AND TIME OF SALE: July 11, 2018, at 11:00 a.m.

PLACE OF SALE: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Room 30, 350 South Fifth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota to pay the debt secured by said mortgage and taxes, if any, on said premises and the costs and disbursements, including attorneys’ fees allowed by law subject to redemption within six (6) months from the date of said sale by the mortgagor(s), their personal representatives or assigns.

The date on or before which the mortgagor must vacate the property if the mortgage is not reinstated under section 580.30 or the property redeemed under section 580.23: January 11, 2019, at 11:59 p.m.

THE TIME ALLOWED BY LAW FOR REDEMPTION BY THE MORTGAGOR, THE MORTGAGOR’S PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES OR ASSIGNS, MAY BE REDUCED TO FIVE WEEKS IF A JUDICIAL ORDER IS ENTERED UNDER MINNESOTA STATUTES, SECTION 582.032, DETERMINING, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT THE MORTGAGED PREMISES ARE IMPROVED WITH A RESIDENTIAL DWELLING OF LESS THAN FIVE UNITS, ARE NOT PROPERTY USED IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AND ARE ABANDONED. Dated: April 20, 2018 Blackstone 1, LLC Assignee of Mortgagee HOELSCHER LAW FIRM, PLLC By: /s/ Brian G. Hoelscher Brian G. Hoelscher #0238752 Attorneys for Assignee of Mortgagee 13100 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 100 Minnetonka, MN 55305 (952) 224-9551 THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. FORECLOSURE DATA Minn. Stat. Sec. 580.025 (1) the physical street address, city, and zip code of the mortgaged premises is 6258 Meadowlark Lane North, Maple Grove, MN 55369; (2) the name of the transaction agent, residential mortgage servicer, and the lender or broker, as defined in section 58.02, if the person holding the mortgage is a transaction agent as defined in section 58.02, subdivision 30 are as follows: – not applicable; or the name of the residential mortgage servicer and the lender or broker, as defined in section 58.02, if the person holding the mortgage is not a transaction agent as defined in section 58.02, subdivision 30 are as follows: residential mortgage servicer – Blackstone 1, LLC, lender or broker – Blackstone 1, LLC; (3) the tax parcel identification number of the mortgaged premises is: 35-119-22-34-0042; (4) if stated on the mortgage, the transaction agent’s mortgage identification number is: - not applicable; (5) if stated on the mortgage, the name of the residential mortgage originator as defined in section 58.02 is: SharePoint Credit Union Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, May 10,17,24,31 & June 7 & 14, 2018

State of Minnesota Case Type: Dissolution Without Children County of Hennepin District Court With Real Estate Fourth Judicial Court In Re the Marriage of:

Nimo Abdullahi Omar, Petitioner SUMMONS WITHOUT REAL ESTATE and Shaqalle Hugur Muse, Respondent ORDER FOR SERVICE BY ALTERNATIVE MEANS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT: WARNING: YOUR SPOUSE (HUSBAND OR WIFE) HAS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU FOR DISSOLUTION OF YOUR MARRIAGE. A COPY OF THE PAPERWORK REGARDING THE LAWSUIT IS SERVED ON YOU WITH THIS SUMMONS. THIS SUMMONS IS AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FROM THE COURT THAT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS. READ THIS SUMMONS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT, CONTACT AN ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ADVICE. 1. The Petitioner, (your spouse) has filed a lawsuit against you asking for dissolution of your marriage (divorce). A copy of the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is attached to this Summons. 2. You must serve upon Petitioner and file with the Court a written Answer to the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and you must pay the required filing fee. Answer forms are available from the court administrator’s office. You must serve your Answer upon Petitioner within thirty (30) days of the date you were served with this Summons, not counting the day of service. If you do not serve and file your Answer, the Court may give your spouse everything he or she is asking for in the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. 3. This proceeding does not involve real property.

NOTICE OF TEMPORARY RESTRAINING PROVISIONS: Under Minnesota law, service of this summons makes the following requirements apply to both parties to the action, unless they are modified by the Court or the proceeding is dismissed: (1) Neither party may dispose of any assets except (A) for the necessities of life or for the necessary generation of income or preservation of assets, (B) by an agreement of the parties in writing, or (C) for retaining counsel to carry on or to contest this proceeding. (2) Neither party may harass the other party. (3) All currently available insurance coverage must be maintained and continued without change in coverage or beneficiary designation. (4) Parties to a marriage dissolution proceeding are encouraged to attempt alternative dispute resolution pursuant to Minnesota law.

Alternative dispute resolution includes mediation, arbitration and other processes as set forth in the district court rules. You may contact the Court Administrator about resources in your area. If you cannot pay for mediation or alternative dispute resolution, in some counties, assistance may be available to you through a nonprofit provider of a court program. If you are a victim of domestic abuse or threats as defined in Minnesota statutes, Chapter 518B, you are not required to try mediation and you will not be penalized by the Court in later proceedings.

IF YOU VIOLATE ANY OF THESE PROVISIONS, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS

BY THE COURT. Date: 05/24/2018 Signed: Nimo Abdullahi Omar Minnesota Spokesman Recorder May 31, June 7 &14, 2018

Notice of Comment Period on the Reappointment of U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung The U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota invites comments from members of the bar and public as to whether incumbent U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung should be recommended for reappointment. Comments should be received by 5:00 p.m. (CST) on Monday, June 25, 2018, and may be directed to: U.S. District Court Clerk’s Office ATTN: Tricia Pepin, Chief Deputy Clerk 300 South Fourth Street, Room 202 Minneapolis, MN 55415 meritselectionpanel@mnd.uscourts.gov To view the full public notice, visit the Court’s website at www.mnd.uscourts.gov.

Continued from page 10 during pregame warmups last Friday before the Minnesota-Phoenix contest, and were briefly shown on the huge video scoreboard inside the arena during a break in the action.

“She has been super sweet,” Moore said of Liliana. “She has a WNBA team right in her

The City of Dubuque, Iowa (population 58,000) invites applications for the position of Laboratory Technician. The employee in this class performs standard chemical, biological and bacteriological laboratory testing procedures associated with the operation of the water and wastewater treatment facilities, and in monitoring potable and recreational water. The successful candidate will possess considerable experience in performing chemical and bacteriological analysis and examination of water and wastewater; experience working with a diverse workforce; graduation from an accredited college or university with major coursework in chemistry, biology, bacteriology or related field; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the essential knowledge, skills and abilities. The successful candidate will possess a demonstrated ability to follow a management style that is input oriented and values equity, problem solving and the development of partnerships and desire to be part of an organization that values service, people, integrity, responsibility, innovatio n and teamwork. The City offers an hourly range of $24.03 to $31.42, and an attractive benefit package. The Civil Service Commission will be conducting a written entrance examination for this position on June 25, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. in the Five Flags Civic Center located at Fourth and Locust Streets in Dubuque. Please submit a Civil Service Application to the City Personnel Office by 5:00 p.m. on June 11, 2018.

The Civil Service Application may be obtained at the City Personnel Office, City Hall, 50 West 13th Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864. The Personnel Office may be contacted at 563589-4125 or citypers@cityofdubuque.org. The Civil Service Application, benefit summary and job description are available at www.cityofdubuque.org/employment. Women, minorities, veterans and qualified persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

EOE.

Operations Generalist The U.S. District Court, District of MN is accepting applications for a full-time Operations Generalist in St. Paul, MN. Salary range is $43,270 - $70,362. For more information visit the court’s website, www.mnd.uscourts.gov, Employment.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Grants Manager/ Advocate Minnesota Disability Law Center. For details go to http://www.mylegalaid. org/jobs.

home city, and to be able to engage with me at this time is what it is all about, having those moments.

“She really made my day to see the impact I have, our team and our league can have on the next generation of young girls.”

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

SOE Continued from page 10 is in college right now, and my daughter [Jayla] is about to go to college. And not around my wife as much, that’s the only regret.”

This season’s Twins hurlers are a young bunch: Five have two or fewer years of MLB experience. Effectively communicat-

Housing

To place a classified ad, please call: 612-827-4021

Fitz Continued from page 10

Public Notices

W

LABORATORY TECHNICIAN

Hello, conspiracy. Durant was given two free throws, and he made both to tie the game 106-106. Coach Tyron Lue and Cleveland were hot; they felt the officials took the game from them. A few seconds later the Warriors, leading by 107-106, fouled George Hill. He made his first free throw and missed his second badly.

J.R. Smith grabbed the rebound after the missed free throw by Hill in a tie game 107107 with 4.7 seconds left and had a brain freeze. Instead of putting up a rebound shot or passing to James, he ran out the clock. He could have called timeout – it was unreal watching Smith’s epic blunder.

He thought Cleveland had the lead, according to Coach Lue. The Warriors dominated in overtime to win 124-114. Stephen Curry had 29 points and nine assists.

In Game 2 the Warriors had much better ball movement, leading from start to finish and winning 122-103. Curry had a game-high 33 points and made nine three-point shots, an NBA Finals record. Now the Finals

ing to this generation of players is as important as Alston’s pitching know-how.

“My wife is my teacher,” he said of his professional educator spouse. “She would explain to me how these young kids are coming out of high school, how these young kids think, and how to adapt to the way they think.”

This is the first time the Twins batting coach (James Rowson in his second year) and its pitching coach both are Black, an-

shift to Cleveland on Wednesday for Games 3 and 4 on Friday.

The Cavs are 8-1 at home in the playoffs. Golden State has won four playoff games in a row after trailing Houston 3-2 in the Western Finals. Cleveland came back from 0-2 to beat Boston in the Eastern Finals.

The Warriors remember what happened two years ago when Cleveland rallied from 0-2 to win the title in seven games. The Warriors were 739 in the regular season. They can smell repeat and three titles in four years and are virtually unbeatable when they shoot 50 percent or better. They are 7-0 in the playoffs. They shot 51 percent in Game 1 and 54 percent in Game 2.

Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www.

Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@ larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.

Larry-Fitzgerald.com

other franchise historic footnote. Also, both played baseball in the same hometown, Mount Vernon, NY. “I had the privilege of hearing a lot of great things about James,” Alston said of Rowson. “He was very good in his own right. We’re both really good.”

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

10

June 7-13, 2018

Member of first U.S. women’s pro WARRIORS LEAD CAVS hoops league once swore ‘never again’ AGAIN 2-0

O

AKLAND – This just in: Golden State is really good!

The defending NBA champions are halfway to a third title in four years after holding serve in Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals in Oakland.

It’s the third year in a row the Warriors with the home court advantage lead Cleveland and LeBron James 2-0.

This rivalry is edgy; it’s personal. Four years in a row, Golden State and Cleveland have stood between each other’s pursuit of NBA glory. It’s the greatest rivalry going in pro sports. Some want to claim it’s the game’s greatest player, LeBron James, vs. the NBA’s greatest team. Is it, or is it Curry vs.

James IV?

The Cavaliers were defiant and focused following their leader James, who was sensational with 51 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Only six players in NBA history have scored 50 points or more in an NBA Finals game: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Bob Petit, Rick Barry and Michael Jordan.

James said the loss was one of the worst in his playing career. Playing in his eighth consecutive Finals, James is now 1-8 in Game 1s.

Had it not been for a couple of bizarre events, Cleveland would have won. Cleveland led 106-104 with .36 seconds left in the fourth. Kevin Durant drove to the basket and was called for a charging foul. James defensively slid over and took the

Can LeBron James bring the Cavs back?

Golden State survived Game 1 in overtime 124-114 in one of the greatest games I’ve ever witnessed. Cleveland was physical and out-rebounded Golden State 53-38, shooting 44 percent and controlling the tempo.

The game was chippy. J.R. Smith nearly wiped out Klay Thompson’s right ankle diving for a loose ball – it looked like a tackle the NFL Browns would be proud of.

Photo by Larry Fitzgerald

charge.

That meant Cleveland had the lead and the ball. However, the game officials went to the scorers’ table and reviewed the play to see if James was in the restricted area. The officials overturned the call, saying James was moving.

Rarely if ever is a judgment call overturned, and rarely is it even reviewed.

■ See Fitz o ­ n page 9

The game had caused her too much pain

T

20/20

Lynx A 20-Year Retrospective

By Charles Hallman onyus Chavers is a huge WNBA fan.

But there was a time she didn’t want anything to do with hoops because it had broken her heart. “I was just angry,” she vividly recalled.

She was a member of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL), this country’s first professional women’s basketball league during its entire three-season run (1978-1981). Chavers, who left college early to turn pro, played for three WBL clubs, including the Minnesota Fillies, one of the league’s original eight franchises. The play- Tonyus Chavers, a big Lynx fan, poses with the team’s four championship trophies. ers barely made a thousand dollars a month before taxes; sometimes their pay envelopes were da Roberts, could make her budge. “He master’s in education from St. Mary’s was telling me about [his team],” Chav- University. Since 1991, she has been a empty.

“We had started missing checks. My ers said. “He said, ‘I know you are disap- Minneapolis Public Schools physical education teacher. car got repossessed during that time,” pointed with the league.’

But her hoopin’ days still weren’t “I told Kwame this game has broken Chavers said. She once dreamed that the WBL would fold, a dream so vividly de- my heart for the last time. I’m never go- over, even at middle age. She later partailed that she had to relay it to her team- ing to play basketball anymore. He left ticipated in the WNBA expansion team tryout camp in St. Paul – Chavers was mates. “I felt [the dream] was a warn- me alone for about a year.”

Chavers stayed in town and got “my age 43 at the time. “I still wanted to play. ing.”

Sadly, the inevitable came: “I remem- first real job at the Boys and Girls Club. I I’m at the trials with ladies in their 20s.

“I had just a great time,” Chavers said. ber the real pain when the league folded” was coaching three teams… We all won in 1981, Chavers said. “I was so heartbro- city championships through the Park “I remember walking out and turning ken. A lot of [WBL players] went all over Board,” she said proudly. All during this around and it was Brian Agler,” Minnethe world [to continue playing], just like time, even while she coached, Chavers sota’s coach-GM. “I was talking trash the whole time… I don’t think the coach aprefused to touch a basketball.

[WNBA players] are doing today.” preciated it.”

But finally, her career had closure.

“The first night, I tore my meniscus. I had surgery a couple of weeks after that.

I knew then that was it. It was still a real good feeling of knowing that at 43 I could still compete.”

This weekend Chavers and her fel“I told the kids, ‘I know this game. I low WBL mates, along with the entire But a nomadic hoopin’ life competing for one of two mandatory roster slots can teach it to you…but I am not going league, go into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. They go for Americans on foreign teams wasn’t to touch the ball,” she stressed.

A year later, Kwame again asked in as “Trailblazers.” in her sights. “My family members [not] “I still can’t believe it,” said Chavers getting to see me play? No! Forget that!” Chavers to join his team – and this time she relented. “I played for him and Steve of the recognition. she said emphatically.

So Chavers decided to go cold tur- [Winfield] for 10 years. I was so glad I Tonyus Chavers also is featured this week key and give up basketball altogether. did, because those 10 years…were the on MSR’s front page.

Not even the late Kwame McDonald, as best ball I ever had.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader reChavers also finished her college edco-coach of the local Summit-University Stars women’s basketball team that ucation, getting her B.S. degree from sponses to challman@spokesman-recorder. featured many local standouts like Lin- the University of Minnesota, then her com. Photo courtesy of subject

“I told Kwame this game has broken my heart for the last time. I’m never going to play basketball anymore.”

Sports odds and ends

Twins’ first Black pitching coach misses time with family

Billboard connects young fan with Lynx shero

Otherwise no regrets for leaving retirement

By Charles Hallman Senior Staff Writer Baseball rules allow one “free” trip from the dugout to the mound without having to make a pitching change. This season for the Minnesota Twins, Garvin Alston makes these trips whenever necessary in his first year as pitching coach.

“What I look for the majority of the time is how long that pitcher has been out there,” Alston explained from the Twins dugout before a recent game. Veterans sometimes get “a little bit more leeway. But with the young guys, it comes down to body language, the dropping of the head [between pitches], walking along the mound, shaking off a lot of pitches…a lot of indecisiveness in what they are thinking,” he pointed out.

Overall, “I want to go out there [to the mound] and be a

comfort [for the pitcher], and let them know they are out there for a reason,” Alston stressed.

Alston was hired last fall and became the team’s first Black pitching coach. He’s now in his 13th year as a pro baseball coach after a stint with Arizona (bullpen coach, 2016); several roles in the Oakland organization,

ply, “We don’t see a lot of African Americans” as pitching coaches in the majors.

Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey said in an MLB.com article, “We set out to find the best pitching coach for our ball club.

We wanted one who had experiences with pitching development, relationships, fit our cul-

Maya Moore’s “Wings” billboard has been a huge hit, especially locally. But perhaps its most lasting impact will be on fouryear-old Liliana Sikakane.

The giant billboard, modeled after a 1983 Michael Jordan poster, was erected outside the downtown Minneapolis arena and unveiled May 20, the day of the Minnesota Lynx 2018 season opener. It is part of a promotional campaign ture and would really grow with launched by Nike of Moore’s new shoe brand. An us moving forward. We thought accompanying video also premiered that features Garvin checked all those boxes footage of Moore’s pro career along with childhood and then some.” home videos of her.

Alston credited his wife Natasha for his return to baseball after retiring as a player. He was a 10th round draft pick by Colorado in 1992, spent nine years in the minors, and had a 1-0 record in six major league appearances in Colorado, 1996.

“I was extremely contented and happy with that,” he reSikakane and her father saw the billboard afcalled of his post-retirement ter the contest, and he took a photo of her posing work in an after-school proin front of Moore’s larger-than-life image. He later gram. But he ran into a friend, posted the photo and it went viral on social media. then a baseball front-office perThe Lynx last week invited the little girl to a son, who told him that he should team practice, where Liliana met in person her new come back to baseball. Alston’s shero and got an individual lesson from Moore. wife advised him to think about Moore also signed the poster for her new fan and it as well. “I thought about it for had a photo taken with both of them reenacting the three days,” he remembered. iconic pose.

“No regrets,” Alston contin“Having those moments with Liliana for the ued. “The only regret honestlast 48 hours has been super sweet,” Moore told the ly is not being around my famMSR last Friday. “To engage with her in that way, ily as much. My son [Garvin Jr.] and to hear her story and her family’s story of experiencing the women’s game this way, and to do ■ See SOE ­on page 9 it at the same time in such an iconic campaign with

“My wife is my teacher.” including minor league pitching coordinator (2015) and rehab pitching coordinator (200514); and minor league pitching coach (Stockton, 2007-08 and Kane County, 2005-06).

He finished the 2017 season as the Oakland A’s bullpen coach after beginning the season as San Diego’s pitching rehab coordinator. On his historic feat with the Twins, Alston said sim-

Garvin Alston Photo by Charles Hallman

“To engage with her in that way is just a real cool celebration of the women’s game.”

Photo courtesy of the Lynx

Wings is just a real cool celebration of the women’s game.”

Moore signed with Nike in 2011 when she was the WNBA’s overall top draft pick, and was the first female to sign with the company’s Jordan Brand. Years earlier, Sheryl Swoopes became the first female ever to have a Nike shoe named after her. Moore’s shoe came out in 2015.

“It was unreal to be a part of the iconic Wings campaign,” Moore said. “I just love everything it is about.”

When asked if she was surprised by the reaction to the billboard campaign, which also appeared in Los Angeles and New York, “I am not,” Moore replied. “I think it is doing exactly what it should be doing. When you put that much of an investment creatively on the court as what I am doing, with Michael’s legacy and the timing of launching it [and] the high level and quality of the piece, I think people are appreciating it and are excited [about it].

“People are eating it up, and I am happy,” Moore said.

The WNBA prides itself on connecting with fans, to be more than players on the court but influential off-court as well. Little Liliana is another example of this connection. She and her father got free tickets from the Lynx, got to meet Moore again ■ See W ­on page 9

Prep Scene By Mitchell Palmer McDonald will return next week.