THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934
July 16-22, 2020 Vol. 86 No. 50
85Anniversary
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1934 - 20 19
“AS IT WAS SPOKEN ... LET US RECORD.”
Only justice can ease the pain Reopening the schools: Mothers March honored all who’ve lost whether and how family to police violence
opening? Black parents have more to fear from COVID-19. Across the country, Black people are hit with lmost two-thirds of COVID-19 at almost three times White parents who the rate of White people. Black responded to a Min- people suffer 62 coronavirus casnesota Department of Education es per 10,000 people, compared survey said they are comfort- to 23 per 10,000 for White people. able sending their children back Latinx communities see 73 cases to school in September. A slim per 10,000 people. In Hennepin County, the dismajority of Black parents said they were uncomfortable or not parity is much worse: 146 cases sure about sending their children per 10,000 Black people, comback to school. Most Asian and pared to 27 per 10,000 for white Latinx parents responding to the people. Latinx and Asian people survey also were uncomfortable also suffer higher rates of coronavirus infection. or unsure. Data show children are less Are more Black parents actually uncomfortable about sending their children back to school in September? If so, why? And what does that say about whether and how schools should reopen? The Department of Education survey was not a scientific or randomized poll. The vast majority—more than 80 percent—of 130,000 people answering the question were White parents. The state's K-12 student population is only 64 percent White. Nonetheless, the caution that Black parents expressed in the survey is echoed in other surveys around the country. Why would Black parents feel less comfortable about school reBy Mary Turck Contributing writer
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Over 1,000 people marched down University Ave. in St. Paul to the State Capitol for the July 12 Mothers March. Many times their voices go unheard. Of the hundreds of families experiencing such losses, a any families have handful get to tell their stories lost loved ones to the world. Their passionate to police violence. protests, court appointments and
By Brandi Phillips Contributing writer
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demands for justice may then get lost amongst the protests of the people. Community voices sometimes take precedence over the voices of the actual family members. ■See MARCH on page 6
Man who ‘had to do something’ completes 1,000-mile mission
Powered by righteous indignation and a trusty walking stick, Terry Willis embarked June 2 on a 1,000-mile walk from Alabama to Minnesota in silent protest against the recent police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other victims of police violence. Willis completed his historic walk on July 12, capping off the month-long trek with remarks at 38th & Chicago Ave. in South Minneapolis, the site where Floyd breathed his last under the knee of a former MPD police officer.
Courtesy MGN ■See SCHOOLS on page 6
Word on the Street Across the Twin Cities, many residents have begun raising their voices and concerns about recent escalating violence in the communities. One such gathering took place on Friday, July 10 at Guns Down, Love Up, part of a campaign started by the family of late activist Tyrone Williams, who was slain in 2018. Guns Down, Love Up hosted simultaneous rallies
His silent protest against police violence ended Sunday in Mpls
By MSR News Service
likely than adults to get COVID-19. When they get the disease, it is likely to be less severe. On the other hand, some significant cases of in-school outbreaks exist: Three teachers in an Arizona summer school were infected and one died. A single Israeli school reported 130 cases, and dozens of other schools reported infections that led to a second school shutdown there. Reopening schools increases adults at risk of infection. Nationally, almost one in five teachers is 55 or older. Others have medical conditions that put them at risk, or vulnerable family members. Custodians, lunchroom workers,
A 35-year-old Black father and Alabama business owner, Willis heeded the call to action after being stricken by the needless loss of Black life he was seeing in the news. “It made me feel a plethora of mixed emotions: angry, frustrated, confused, sad. This could’ve been me, my family or friends. I knew I had to do something,” Willis said. He began his journey at the Fade Factory Barbershop in Huntsville, Alabama, making a point to honor victims of police violence in various states. Supporters followed him every step of the way online via social media and in-person. ■See WILLIS on page 6
in North Minneapolis and St. Paul to foster community spirit and spread the message against gun violence. Many first responders also attended, including Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. For this Word on the Street column, the MSR asked community members at the North Minneapolis gathering to share their thoughts on the violence and possible solutions.
Teto Wilson
Photo by Chris Juhn
It’s unfortunate about the violence that has taken place in the Twin Cities. People are dealing with a lot of anger, aggression, hopelessness and disparity... To be able to come up with a solution, we need to get to the root of the problem. A lot of anger is rooted in what we see. We live in a violent country. There is violence all around us. A lot of stuff starts at home and can be addressed at home—lack of love, self-hate and misunderstanding. Spread love!
Pastor Marque Jensen
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Terry Ellis speaks to supporters at the Floyd memorial site. Photo by Steve Floyd Man, it is overwhelming. It breaks my heart just seeing it spreading to so many people. I’m working with Urban Homeworks right now and just talked to a mother today who lives in one of our homes who lost her
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son two nights ago. It’s tearing the community apart. People are afraid to go out. Kids are afraid to play football. And we really need to figure out how to put an end to this. I think it’s coming from a lot of different directions, and I think we need to work together to come up with the solutions. We need to find forgiveness for one another. There’s been a lot of stress and trauma in the community over the last five months, from the time that COVID started to the murder of George Floyd and the uprising
that came after that. So we really need healing within the community—all that pressure and stress is boiling over. There’s also a lot of questions about the role of the police, so we also need to look at political and social situations. But we’ve got to begin to look at our own blocks, communities, and families, holding our children, loving one another and making sure the people around us are getting the mental health, love and support they need to feel validated wherever people are at.
Word on the Streeton p. 6
Brianna X
What is upsetting is the North Side is portrayed as a violent and crazy place. If there was resources put into the community, maybe the portrayal would be different. I think the City needs to move forward. The mayor of Minneapolis needs to redo the proposed budget by taking dollars from the police fund and putting the money into the community. We need to create community-centered activities for our youth. The City needs to invest in North Minneapolis!