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October 11-17, 2018 Vol. 85 No. 10 www.spokesman-recorder.com
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THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934
Black history unearthed in Mpls’ oldest cemetery By Jonika Stowes Contributing Writer In the heart of Minneapolis, a closed 20-acre cemetery serves as the resting place of many African American pioneers who helped shape the early beginnings of Minneapolis. Founded in 1853, Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, located at 2945 Cedar Avenue South, is also the oldest existing cemetery in the city. While it only counts 1,800 tombstones, the cemetery holds the remains of more than 20,000 people. The cemetery is currently run by a committee of volunteers, known as Friends of the Cemetery (FOTC), who are working to uncover the history buried six feet underground. Susan Hunter Weir, a member of FOTC, said Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery has collected the remains of six wars, including the War of 1812, the Dakota Conflict, the Civil War, the Mexican American War, the Spanish-American War, and World War I.
First-ever BITCON conference bridges Black talent and technology are intertwined utilizing tech, the number of Black professionals that are employed by The Twin Cities is now tech companies or are foundhome to an inaugural confer- ers of tech companies are disence dedicated to “stomping proportionately low comthe divide” and increasing pared to other races,” said the number of Black women Elizabeth Cotton, BIT’s naand men in technology. tional director of strategic The Blacks In Technology partnerships. Conference, dubbed BITCON, Cotton, who guides develis organized by Blacks In opment, operations and marTechnology (BIT), a global net- keting strategy, is a tech vetworking think tank on tech eran with 10 years’ experience industry professionals with in project management and chapters across the country, program execution for govincluding Los Angeles, Cin- ernment and nonprofit agencinnati, Chicago, Houston cies. and Minneapolis. “[We want] to increase the “Although our daily lives ■ See BItCON on page 8 By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer
“Nine African American soldiers have been discovered who served in the United States Colored Troops (USCT),” said Hunter Weir. Those buried include Private Solomon Hare (Co F 25th USCT), Private Woodford Anderson (Co D 17th USCT), Ruben Burley (Co C 25th USCT), Archie Ramsey (Co K 17th USCT), and Amos
Watkins (Co G 17th USCT). In 1986, thenMinneapolis city council member Cheatham Goodridge Sharon Sayles Belton Courtesy of Friends of The Cemetery (who would go on to become the first Black mayor of Minneapolis in ceremony placing a headstone 1994) eulogized Private Oscar atop his grave. Private Vaughn Vaughn (Co H 16th USCT) in a ■ See Cemetery on page 8
‘Domestic violence is real’ — don’t ignore it ‘Sisterhood of Survival’ seeks to break cycle of abuse
By Paige Elliott Digital Editor The chilling story of LaShonda Childs, an African American Ohio teen allegedly shot and killed by her 28-yearold ex-boyfriend Trendell Goodwin, reverberated on social media last week. Prior to her death, Childs had posted on Facebook about the constant threat of danger she felt. “If you see the signs, don’t ignore it, y’all. Domestic violence is real,” she warned on Sept. 21. Childs was shot Oct. 2 and died early the next morning, two days shy of her 18th birthday. Her ex-boyfriend has since been charged in her murder. Her tragic death serves as a poignant start to Domestic Violence Awareness Month — a painful reminder of the need for open and honest dialogue about the issue. Sister Spokesman’s “Sisterhood of Survival” event on Oct. 6 provided a space for such a conversation. Community members packed a room at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Minneapolis to hear expert panelists Ethylon (E.B.) Brown, Saran Cryer, and Manu Lewis expound on the topic.
at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, opened his remarks on a conciliatory note. “I want to apologize for a lot of things that we [men] have done,” he said, his face wet with tears. “I consider learned behavior how we treat each other, and I do believe we can learn something different. “But, as a man, I realize how much we have broken our women down. And to start the healing process, we have to recognize what we have done,” he said. Bolin-Johnson furthered the theme of healing as she explained how, in learning to forgive her abusive ex-husband, she opened the door to self-love and acceptance. She also sought help from professionals and the church to aid in the healing process. “I had to be courageous; I had to fight for my peace,” she said. “I had to fight for my Sarae (l) and Jamieya Bolin-Johnson children and fight [generational trauPhotos by Steve Floyd ma]. Through forgiving him, I was free to love… I started to teach my children Domestic abuse survivor and author Marie Chanté, isis, and Alcina Washing- al trauma and how to break the cycle of about signs of abuse.” abuse to identifying abusive behaviors, Jamieya Bolin-Johnson, accompanied ton-Fowler. Panelists cited red flags to look for inThe one-hour discussion touched prevention tips, and the importance of cluding possessiveness and emotional by her young daughter, rounded out the panel. The afternoon was punctuat- on various aspects of domestic violence, self-love and care. ■ See ABuse on page 8 Lewis, a facilitator and case manager ed by spoken word performances from ranging from systemic and generation-
Twin Cities ‘Voices of the Civil Rights Movement’ honored By MSR Editors Twin Cities civil rights champions who helped to shape the state’s collective history are now part of a living multimedia library created to document the movement. Attendees gathered at the Minnesota History Center to honor St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Dr. Josie R. Johnson, former Minneapolis Mayor Sayles-Belton, Mahmoud ElKati and Harry “Spike” Moss for their contributions, ranging from fair housing to voter registration. The five are now part of the “Voices of the Civil Rights Movement” (VOCRM) platform, which is curated by Comcast NBCUniversal in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative. “The Twin Cities were not immune to the ire and intensity of racial discrimination,” said Ebonne Ruffins, vice pres-
ident of local media development for Comcast. s “Minneapolis and St. Paul civil rights leaders set a clear tone for effective lobbying and activism that was often replicated in states outside of the Midwest,” “The premiere of five ‘Voices of the Civil Rights Movement’ segments from the Twin Cities highlights the impact of this region — fair housing, voter registration campaigns, impassioned activism, overcoming discrimination, and choosing love during trying times,” she said. Ruffins first introduced the initiative in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech became a rallying cry for America’s Civil Rights Movement. It now stands “as a series of first-person interviews with participants from the march
(l-r) Phyllis Rawls Goff, Harry “Spike” Moss, Debbie Montgomery, Dr. Josie R. Johnson, former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, Toni Carter, Melvin Carter, Jr. and Mahmoud El-Kati Photo courtesy of Comcast NBCUniversal who could best describe their experiences before, during and after one of the most seminal civil rights events in American
history,” said Ruffins. With ing multimedia civil rights more than 16 hours of video platforms of its kind.” content, she said, “[It] is among the largest and furthest reach-
Visit MSRnewsonline.com for images from the event and to watch videos highlighting each of the honorees.