Mshale Newspaper July 5, 2021 Edition

Issue # 477

INSIDE

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Books for Africa grand opens new warehouse in Marietta

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Community organizer in race for Ward 2’s Minneapolis City Council seat

Over 400,000 face famine in Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Will millions return to church after the pandemic?

Robin Wonsley Worlobah is a candidate for the 2021 Minneapolis City Council elections representing Ward 2. She is running on a platform of public safety, labor protection, immigration reform, and universal housing among others.

Photo: Courtesy Robin Worlobah

By Cynthia Simba Mshale

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J U LY 5 - 1 1 , 2 0 2 1

Burna Boy wins another BET Award

Robin Wonsley Worlobah is ready to take her activism into public office. The 29-yearold Chicago native and community organizer is running to represent Ward 2 in the Minneapolis City Council.

Ward 2 covers the eastern part of Minneapolis, and spans both the east and the west banks of the Mississippi river. The ward is home to some of Minnesota’s most culturally and economically diverse populations. It has both high-density housing, as well as single-family residential neighborhoods. It is also home of the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota, as well Augsburg University, University Medical Center, and Fairview Hospital.

“This is the time,” Worlobah said. “This is a historic opportunity to actually represent working class people in our city.”

Worlobah said it was working as a lead organizer for the 15 Now campaign in Minneapolis, which aimed to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, that inspired her to seek a position in public office. The movement was successful, and beginning in 2017, the city of Minneapolis has taken steps to gradually increase the minimum wage. By July 2021, large businesses in Minneapolis, those with over 100 employees, will be required to pay their employees at least $15 an hour.

Labor activists launched the push for higher wages nationally to ensure that workers receive adequate compensation from their employers for their contributions as a way to fight against poverty. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2018 about 7 million Americans were classified as the “working poor,”— persons who have spent at least 27 weeks in a year in the workforce but still live in poverty due to low

wages.

Worlobah is now running on a platform of public safety, labor protection, immigration reform, and universal housing among other issues. She attributes the growing tent encampments around Minneapolis to an affordable housing crisis that has left families around the country with limited housing options.

“Lack of affordability around housing is rippling all across the ward,” she said. “I think it is no coincidence that we see tent encampments growing in our community.”

In July 2020, as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board issued temporary encampment permits for homeless residents to use the city’s parks. But that permit expired in February, although the crisis of homelessness still remained unresolved.

In May, however, a new

homeless encampment located on an empty private lot was created in the Seward neighborhood.

Even those who still have homes have struggled with high rents. According to a University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) rent stabilization report, Minneapolis workers with lower wages have seen the largest increases on their rent with a 44 percent spike between 2016 and 2019. Worlobah said in the five years she’s been a Minneapolis resident, her rent has nearly tripled as she’s moved around the ward.

If elected into office, Worlobah said she would work to pass rent control and increase taxation on wealthy individuals to create funds for public housing. She also promised push for the expansion the city’s public living spaces as well as protect the ones in

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July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

African Union and Books for Africa reaffirm partnership at warehouse grand opening

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By Bethel Gessesse Mshale MARIETTA, Ga. — Books for Africa hosted a grand opening celebration of its new warehouse opening on Saturday attended by over 200 people. The event comes on the heels of an historic accomplishment earlier this year when it completed its 50 millionth book shipment last year.

The St. Paul, Minnesota based nonprofit moved its main warehouse to the Atlanta metro area in 2009. Millions of donated books from all over the country are sorted, packed and shipped each year from the warehouse to the Port of Savanah, where they are sent by cargo ship to students throughout Africa.

“Our new warehouse will dramatically improve our efficiency and allow us to automate our operation. It will also be a more effective work area for our thousands of volunteers,” said Patrick Plonski, Books for Africa’s executive director.

At Saturday’s grand opening, the African Union Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Hilda Suka-Mafudze, praised the organizations efforts in her keynote address, calling BFA an “eloquent example of an effective instrument of soft public diplomacy

Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze, the AU Ambassador to the United States, during a keynote address at the grand opening of the Books for Africa warehouse in Marietta, Georgia on Saturday, June 26, 2021.

Photo: Bethel Gessesse/Mshale

that contributes in enhancing the longstanding historic and cultural ties between our peoples and nations.”

The Ambassador also spoke to the importance of increasing literacy across the continent, proliferating content in native African languages, and the Books for Africa on Pg. 6

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Guest Commentary by Nina Hudson Turner

The Black Press: Vanguards of our history, guardians of our future When mainstream media largely ignored the Black community, or positioned us in an unfavorable light, the Black press has been the lighthouse that has illuminated our paths. It is only reasonable then, that I honor not only Black journalists but the associations that have given them cover. The National Newspaper Publishers Association, the National Association of Black Journalists have supported the people – Black journalists and Black newspaper publishers – who have supported us.

For decades, the Black press has been the vanguards of the Black community’s history and the guardians of our future. They have been one of the few institutions that have acknowledged our pain while making space for our promise. Both the journalists and the publishers who employ them have been critical in telling our stories in an accurate and balanced way. They have also forced larger outlets to pay attention to the issues of importance to our communities.

And now, as we sit at the crossroads of progress and retrogression, our hope lies in strengthening this storied institution. The challenges facing our community are serious.

In multiple states there are attempts to roll back access to the ballot. In communities across the country, Black and poor people live under the daily threat of gun violence.

Even in education, Black people and other marginalized groups are fighting for high quality instruction. Black educators and others are also being told that they cannot discuss this nation’s complicated history with race and racism with bans on Critical Race Theory. The hope for our future lies, in part, on a thriving Black press.

What I am saying comes as no surprise to honest students of history. It is also not lost on Black people, who have long seen the arcs of their lives traced and covered by an activist-oriented Black press.

It is not just in the juxtaposition of the Black media and larger, non-Black media institutions that one sees the value of institutions that are anti-racist, culturally aware and committed to truth. But every community benefits when the people within it, become the architects of narratives that emerge about said group’s own past, present and future.

For too long Black communities, and other marginalized groups, have suffered when the people who tell their stories do not look like them. In fact, in seeking to understand the origins of the race riots in the summer of 1967, the Kerner Commission found that the lack of diversity in the news media was a contributing factor. The Commission was formed at the behest of President Lyndon Baines Johnson and tasked with uncovering the roots of the riots. Among other things, they found that when it comes to media, Black people were not being hired in numbers proportionate to their population, and

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many people felt that the lens through which the media told and interpreted the Black community’s stories was inherently racist. Some even felt that the media was receiving their information directly from police, at a time of growing mistrust between the Black community and police.

The commission famously stated that America was moving toward “two societies, one white; another one Black.” The group recommended that policymakers “mount programs on a scale equal to the dimension of the problems, including closing the gap between promise and performance.” It understood that a big hole required a big shovel.

And while the Kerner Commission outlined ways to improve media coverage of Black communities, Black journalists and publishers have long lamented the need to have communities of color behind and in front of the camera. Long before the Kerner Commission report, the Black community knew and understood that the Black press was the key to fair representation and balanced coverage. It wasn’t just that the Black press traced and tracked the arcs of our and our ancestors lives, but it was the one place where both our struggle and triumph was chronicled. It was the one place where the people telling the news had a vested interest in telling it fairly; they experienced the same classist, racist, sexist, and homophobic treatment as the communities they were writing about.

It was also a home for Black journalists committed to not only telling the news but providing historical context. From the first Black-owned and operated publication, the Freedom’s Journal, commitment to covering abolition to other publishers who viewed their role not only as mouthpieces for the movement but activists as well. They were a direct challenge on mainstream publications that attacked African Americans and gave cover for slavery. From Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s Memphis Free Speech, Black journalists and publishers were on the frontlines of opposing slavery, lynching and the in-humane treatment of Black people.

But the Black press has also provided context, explaining the context of our lives.

For instance, the Chicago Defender chronicled with distinction the great migration of Southern Blacks to Northern cities. In search of “warmer suns” as author and journalist Isabel Wilkerson noted, Black people moved north, bringing with them their wounds, talents, and hopes for brighter days. The great migration then, is a lens through which we can understand modern immigration struggles.

In the same way that the Black community embraced our own long before other communities did so, the Black press has been an anchor, sharing news and commentary from a historically honest lens. When white publications refused to print the obituaries of Black people, ignoring us in life and death, the Black press was a dutiful companion. When white publications minimized or ignored our accomplishments and career highlights, our community took refuge in the media institutions that we not only created but sustained through subscriptions and advertising. EBONY and JET magazines became not only sources of pride, but dispatches from the field, reporting on our trauma, yes, but our triumphs too.

When mainstream media largely ignored the Black community, or positioned us in an unfavorable light, the Black press has been the lighthouse that has illuminated our paths. It is only reasonable then, that I honor not only Black journalists but the associations that have given them cover. The National Newspaper Publishers Association, the National Association of Black Journalists have supported the people – Black journalists and Black newspaper publishers – who have supported us.

Today, at a time when there are legitimate efforts to clamp down on the honest telling of our history and anything that threatens those in power, a thriving Black press is not just a ‘nice to have,’ it is a must have. From Texas to Florida, and outlying states, there is a movement in school boards and state legislatures to prevent the teaching of Critical Race Theory, a lens through which to understand America’s history with race.

This is why the emergence and/or growth of Black-owned and operated publications such as the Black News Channel, The Grio, The Chicago Defender, and the Call & Post newspaper is so encouraging. They help ensure Black people are the narrators of our stories.

In these times where we appear to be asked to re-litigate the victories our ancestors won decades ago, we cannot meet this moment without a strong Black press. As we think about what is needed for our communities to succeed, we cannot overstate the importance of investing in Black media. The investments include infusions of capital, giving Black press first rights of refusal when it comes to breaking news, and supporting Black journalists.

The Black press has been the vanguards of our history and the guardians of our future.

For this reason, they deserve our salute and resources too.

Nina Hudson Turner is an American politician and educator from Ohio. She wrote this for Black Press USA where it first appeared.

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July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

UN: Over 400,000 people in Ethiopia’s Tigray face famine now as access is restricted

By Edith M. Lederer Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations said Friday that more than 400,000 people in Ethiopia’s crisiswracked Tigray region are now facing the worst global famine in decades and 1.8 million are on the brink, and warned that despite the government’s unilateral cease-fire there is serious potential for fighting in western Tigray.

The dire U.N. reports to the first open meeting of the U.N. Security Council since the conflict in Tigray began last November and painted a devastating picture of a region where humanitarian access is extremely restricted, 5.2 million people need aid, and Tigray forces that returned to their capital Mekele after the government’s June 28 cease-fire and exit from the region have not agreed to the halt to hostilities.

U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo urged the Tigray Defense Force “to endorse the cease-fire immediately and completely,” stressing that the U.N.’s immediate concern is to get desperately need aid to the region.

Acting U.N. humanitarian chief Ramesh Rajasingham said the situation in Tigray “has worsened dramatically” in the last 2 ½ weeks, citing “an alarming rise in food insecurity and hunger due to conflict” with the number of people crossing the threshold to famine increasing from 350,000 to 400,000. With 1.8 million a step away, he said, some suggest “the numbers are even higher.”

“The lives of many of these people depend on our ability to reach them with food, medicine, nutrition supplies and other humanitarian assistance,” he said.

“And we need to reach them now. Not next week. Now.” The largely agricultural Tigray region of

about 6 million people already had a food security problem amid a locust outbreak when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Nov. 4 announced fighting between his forces and those of the defiant regional government. Tigray leaders dominated Ethiopia for almost three decades but were sidelined after Abiy introduced reforms that won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

No one knows how many thousands of civilians or combatants have been killed.

DiCarlo said an estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes, and more than 60,000 have fled into neighboring Sudan. Though Abiy declared victory in late November, Ethiopia’s military kept up the offensive with allied fighters from neighboring Eritrea, a bitter enemy of the now-fugitive officials who once led Tigray, and from the Amhara region adjacent to Tigray.

In a stunning turn earlier this week, Ethiopia declared a unilateral cease-fire on humanitarian grounds while retreating from advancing Tigray forces. But the government faces growing international pressure as it continues to cut off the region from the rest of the world.

DiCarlo said reports indicate that leaders of Tigray’s previous regional administration including its former president have returned to the regional capital Mekele, which has no electrical power or internet.

“Key infrastructure has been destroyed, and there are no flights entering or leaving the area,” she said.

Elsewhere in Tigray, DiCarlo said, Eritrean forces, who have been accused by witnesses of some of the worst atrocities in the war, have “withdrawn to areas adjacent to the border” with Eritrea.

Amhara forces remain in western Tigray, and DiCarlo said the Amhara branch of the ruling Prosperity Party warned in a statement on June 29 that the region’s forces will remain in territory it seized in the west during the conflict.

In this Saturday, May 8, 2021, photo, an Ethiopian woman scoops up grains of wheat after it was distributed by the Relief Society of Tigray in the town of Agula, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. As the United States warns that up to 900,000 people in Tigray face famine conditions in the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade, little is known about vast areas of Tigray that have been under the control of combatants from all sides since November 2020. With blocked roads and ongoing fighting, humanitarian groups have been left without access.

Photo:Ben Curtis/AP

“In short, there is potential for more confrontations and a swift deterioration in the security situation, which is extremely concerning,” she warned.

Ethiopia’s U.N. Ambassador Taye Atske Selassie told reporters later when asked if Amhara forces would remain in western Tigray, “that is a matter of fact.”

Selassie, who comes from that part of Ethiopia, said the western area was once part of Amhara but was “forcibly incorporated into Tigray in 1990 without any due process.” He said the dispute will now be submitted to a government border commission.

On the humanitarian front, Rajasingham said over the past few days U.N. teams in Mekelle, Shire and Axum have been able to move out to other places which is “positive.”

The U.N. now plans to send convoys to difficult-to-reach areas but the U.N. World Food Program only has enough food for one million people for one month in Mekelle, he said.

“This is a fraction of what we need for the 5.2 million people who need food aid,” the acting aid chief said. “However, we have almost run out of health, water, sanitation and other non-food item kits.

Food alone does not avert a famine.”

Rajasingham urged “all armed and security actors” in Tigray to guarantee safe road access for humanitarian workers and supplies, using the fastest and most effective routes.

He expressed alarm at Thursday’s destruction of the Tekeze River bridge -“and the reported damage to two other bridges -- which cut a main supply route to bring in food and other life-saving supplies.”

Rajasingham called on the Ethiopian

government “to immediately repair these bridges and by doing so help prevent the spread of famine.”

“What we are seeing in Tigray is a protection crisis,” Rajasingham stressed, citing civilian killings during the conflict, and more than 1,200 cases of serious sexual and gender-based violence reported, “with more continuing to emerge.”

Selassie, the Ethiopian ambassador, reiterated the government’s call for a national dialogue and its commitment to ensure accountability for crimes and atrocities committed during the conflict -- moves welcomed by U.N. political chief DiCarlo.

She urged the international community to encourage the government and Tigrayan forces to ensure there is no impunity for the crimes.

The Security Council took no action and made no statement but U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said its first open meeting after six closed discussions was important to show the people of Tigray and the parties to the conflict that the U.N.’s most powerful body is concerned about the issue and closely watching developments.

“And hopefully it will lead to further action by the council if the situation there does not improve,” she said.

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Worlobah from Pg. 1 place from privatization.

Of all the issues listed, Worlobah said she considers public safety to be the most critical. As a Southside Chicago native, she said she understood what it is like to live in the chaos and violence that plague the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

Like many cities across the United States, Minneapolis has seen an increase in crimes and homicides during the pandemic. If elected Worlobah intends on backing legislation that restructures public safety to best serve the community.

“The first thing that is going to be on top of our minds in the city council is passing the ordinance that’s going to back the Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign around creating a new Department of Public Safety,” she said.

The Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign was launched in 2020 as a reaction to the murder of George Floyd by a police officer.

“I simply want a ward where everyone can breathe,” Worlobah said.

Worlobah moved to Minnesota eleven years ago after earning an academic scholarship to study at Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota. She moved to the Twin Cities after graduating to work at the Women’s Center in Minneapolis.

Since then she has been part of a series

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of social justice and educational equity movements, which include joining the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of Jamar Clark in November 2015 by Minneapolis police, and later the death of Philando Castile in a suburb outside of Saint Paul. Worlobah currently works as a community organizer for Education Minnesota, a union that represents over 87,000 educators in the state. She is also pursuing her doctorate degree in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Worlobah moved to Ward 2 five years ago, she said, because it offered safe and affordable housing options, amenities that she wants to preserve.

She also enjoys the sense of community and inclusivity she’s experienced living in her Seward neighborhood.

“The sense of community even in the most trying time, you know people care,” she said. “We walk the talk, we want to make sure everyone is included.”

Worlobah is running against incumbent Cam Gordon, a green party member who has represented the Ward for the past fifteen years. Other candidates include Yusra Arab, and Tom Anderson.

Worlobah lives in the Seward neighborhood with her husband.

July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

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PSA from the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services office Offices on the ballot in 2021 • Mayor • City Council • Board of Estimate and Taxation (two at-large seats) • Minneapolis Park Board 1. District seats (one seat for each of six districts) 2. At-Large (three seats)

View your sample ballot A sample ballot is available 45 days before the election on the Secrrtary of State website (sos.state.mn.us) and is an excellent resource for preparing to vote.

You can see what you’ll be voting on ahead of time. You can also bring your sample ballot with you when you vote at your polling place.

Apply to work on Election Day Our next election is the 2021 Municipal Election on November 2.

Minneapolis needs election judges (poll workers) to work in every election in the city.

Election judges work in the 134 polling places located throughout the city, making sure every eligible ballot can be cast and counted.

Minneapolis needs close to 2,000 judges to make Election Day happen.

We hire new judges each election. We also need to use many experienced judges to keep the polls running smoothly.

Want to work for us?

• Earn $17.15 per hour • Work a full day (16 hours) or half day (8 hours) • Attend a paid training session before Election Day • Choose which elections to work in and a preferred location to work Apply at this link: https:// ewportal.vote4minneapolis.com/ ElectionJudgeApplication.aspx Requirements to be an election judge

State requirements • Must be eligible to vote in Minnesota • Must be able to read, write and speak English • Must complete mandatory election judge training • Must not be the spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, sibling or

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July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

Books for Africa from Pg. 2 emerging importance of art and culture to the growth of Africa.

“The African Union [recognizes] the instrumental role that arts, culture and heritage can play as catalysts for the sustainable socio-economic development and integration of the continent…Aspiration 5 of Agenda 2063 reaffirms Africa’s ‘strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics’ as critical factors for Africa’s re-emergence on the global stage,’” Suka-Mafudze stated.

The Ambassador spoke of the potential for collaboration between Books for Africa and the African Union in addressing the literacy needs of the continent with ideas like the custom printing of books in local African languages which the organization has already embarked on.

Founder, Tom Warth also spoke at the event, thanking the over 15,000 volunteers for their vital role in bringing the space to full operation and sustaining the mission of the organization. Warth also addressed the need for more content in native African languages and emphasized that Books for Africa’s mission to end the book famine in Africa is still yet to be accomplished.

Guests who traveled from across the US, including Minnesota where Books for Africa is headquartered, at the grand opening of the Books for Africa warehouse in Marietta, Georgia enjoy a musical selection from the Books for Africa Warehouse Band on Saturday, June 26, 2021.

Photo: Bethel Gessesse/Mshale

Board president Joanna Sussman said Africa leadership expects to retain its Books for Africa had the second-most top status as a preferred destination for volunteers of any non-profit in the volunteers looking to give back to the Atlanta metro area before the pandemic. community in the Atlanta area.

With the pandemic receding and things 202136_KL_HennepinCounty_Printad_Mshale_Hibo_4.875x7.125_RD1.pdf 1 5/13/21 2:10 PM opening back up again, the Books for A fun and free-spirited energy permeated

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the spacious warehouse through the live musical set from the Books for Africa Warehouse Band. Performing covers of Amy Winehouse, The Eurythmics, and countless other classics — and even some original songs like the “Books for

Africa Band.”

Editor’s note: Visit mshale.com for more pictures from the Books for Africa warehouse grand opening.

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July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

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July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

Gov. Walz: Minnesota Reaches President Biden’s 70% vaccination goal before July 4

By Bethel Gessesse Mshale

Governor Tim Walz announced Thursday that Minnesota reached the goal set by President Biden and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to vaccinate 70% of the state’s 18-and-older population

by July 4. Minnesota is only the second state in the Midwest to meet President Biden’s goal, and it leads the Midwest in the percentage of the overall population fully vaccinated (52%).

“This is a remarkable achievement, and a credit to every Minnesotan who has rolled up their sleeves to get their vaccine and protect themselves and their communities,” said Governor Walz.

“Safe Travels, Minnesota” vaccine incentive with Sun Country Airlines at MSP Terminal 2 pop-up location Governor also announced a new vaccine incentive partnership with Sun Country Airlines encouraging Minnesotans to roll up their sleeves and get their COVID-19 vaccine through the beginning of August.

“Vaccines are effective and can help you explore the country much more safely,” said Governor Walz. “With more than 3 million Minnesotans vaccinated, we’ve made great progress as a state and we want to build on that success by providing a chance to get back to traveling – safely.

So roll up your sleeves Minnesota – walk in or make an appointment at Terminal 2, and begin planning your next trip.”

Governor Walz signs Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget—Minnesota’s state budget for the next two years. The bipartisan budget includes his priorities to invest in small businesses and drive economic recovery, ensure students catch up on learning to succeed for years to come, and support essential workers and working families.

Photo: Office of Governor Walz

The Terminal 2 vaccination pop-up is located at 7150 Humphrey Drive and is open every day from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Parking vouchers are available at the MSP Terminal 2 community vaccination location. The vouchers are good for one hour of free parking to any patient

visiting the Terminal 2 for the purpose of vaccination. Inquire with staff on site to receive your voucher.

Minnesotans who get their shot between Thursday, July 1 and August 7 at MSP Airport’s Terminal 2 will be entered

into a weekly drawing for a $500 travel voucher through Sun Country Airlines. A new winner will be announced weekly for five consecutive weeks.

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Religion Millions skipped church during pandemic. Will they return as it recedes? Worries are universal

By David Sharp Associated Press WALDOBORO, Maine (AP) — With millions of people having stayed home from places of worship during the coronavirus pandemic, struggling congregations have one key question: How many of them will return?

As the pandemic recedes in the United States and in-person services resume, worries of a deepening slide in attendance are universal.

Some houses of worship won’t make it.

Smaller organizations with older congregations that struggled to adapt during the pandemic are in the greatest danger of a downward spiral from which they can’t recover, said the Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, lecturer at the Harvard Divinity School and co-pastor of a church in Boston.

On the Maine coast, the pandemic proved to be the last straw for the 164-year-old Waldoboro United Methodist Church.

Even before COVID-19 swept the world,

weekly attendance had dipped to 25 or 30 at the white-clapboard New England church that could hold several hundred worshippers. The number further dwindled to five or six before the final service was held Sunday, said the Rev. Gregory Foster.

The remaining congregants realized they couldn’t continue to maintain the structure, and decided to fold the tent, Foster said.

“We can’t entirely blame everything on COVID. But that was just the final blow.

Some people have not been back at all,” he said.

In Virginia, the Mount Clifton United Methodist Church experienced a similar fate. The church can seat more than 100 but the number of weekly worshippers dwindled to 10 to 15, even before the pandemic.

The small white church built on a hill in the Shenandoah Valley in the 1880s may be rented to another congregation, or it may be put up for sale.

“It’s a complicated picture overall, but the pandemic was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said the Rev. Darlene Wilkins, who oversaw Mount Clifton. “It

just became next to impossible to sustain.”

In the United States, the latest challenge for places of worship comes against a backdrop of a decadeslong trend of a smaller share of the population identifying as religious.

It’s too early to know the full impact of the pandemic. Surveys do show signs of hopefulness — and also cause for concern.

About three-quarters of Americans who attended religious services in person at least monthly before the pandemic say they are likely to do so again in the next few weeks, according to a recent APNORC poll. That’s up slightly from the about two-thirds who said in May 2020 that they would if they were allowed to do so. But 7% said they definitely won’t be attending.

Those findings are in line with a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. residents last summer. It found that 92% of people who regularly attend religious services expected to continue at the same or higher rate, while 7% say they will attend in-person services less often.

Nashville, Tennessee-based Lifeway Research, an evangelical research firm, says many churches lost steam when inperson services shut down. A small but concerning number of churchgoers are coming out of the pandemic in limbo without a church home, said Scott McConnell, Lifeway’s executive director.

“That’s a lot of momentum to lose and a lot of people stepping out of the habit” of weekly worship, McConnell said.

Those that are successful in reemerging from the COVID-19 lockdowns will likely be those that did a better job adapting to the pandemic, said White-Hammond. Eight in 10 congregants in the U.S. reported that their services were being streamed online, Pew said.

Those that kept a connection with congregants and relied less on the physical passing of the plate for donations stand a better chance of emerging unscathed, White-Hammond said.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Temple Beth El was closed during the pandemic but kept congregants in touch through events like “challah day.” Volunteers baked over 900 loaves of the bread, which were delivered to homes so worshippers could share them over a Shabbat meal.

There will be no returning to “normal” after the pandemic, said Rabbi Dusty Klass. “There were people who went home and may never come back to the sanctuary. They may just pray from their couch. It’s up to us to make sure they have the opportunity.”

The All Dulles Area Muslim Society, whose main campus is in Sterling, Virginia, said some of its 11 locations have reopened to worshippers with safety measures.

Joyce Durst of the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic choir.

Photo: L. A. Faille/Shutterstock

“If COVID is gone 100%, I firmly believe our community would be fully back because people crave … to be together,” said Rizwan Jaka, chair of interfaith and media relations.

In San Francisco, the historic Old St. Mary’s Cathedral survived when members rebuilt after a fire following the 1906 earthquake but it has struggled mightily during the pandemic to stay open.

The 160-year-old Roman Catholic church, which is heavily dependent on older worshippers and tourists, lost most of its revenue after parishes closed during the pandemic. During those “dark hours,” the Rev. John Ardis had to dismiss most of the lay staff, cut the salary of a priest and close the parish preschool.

The plaster is crumbling, the paint is peeling off the walls and dozens of its stained-glass windows need to be replaced.

“But those are secondary at the moment,” Ardis said. “Because I’m just basically trying to trying to keep the doors open.”

Here in New England, any slide could be more acute since a smaller proportion of residents identify as religious.

In Maine, Judy Grant, 77, was a newcomer to Waldoboro who started watching the services online and then began attending in person.

She’s upset by the closure.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” she said.

“A lot of churches are closing. I think COVID had a big part in this latest shrinkage, but they were shrinking even before that,” she said.

The final service on Sunday was emotional, with both smiles and tears, as nearly 60 gathered in the sanctuary. Foster preached about new beginnings and encouraged people to continue their faith.

Afterward, people began removing some of the church’s contents, including religious paintings, some furniture, and other items.

Grant said some hope the building will come alive again with a new congregation: “We have to be positive — and pray.”

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July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

Art & Entertainment Burna Boy wins Best International Act at BET Awards

By BET Staff & Mshale Staff The 21st annual BET awards returned Sunday, June 27 with a theme that focused on the “Year of the Black Woman.” Award-winning actress and producer Taraji P. Henson hosted the ceremony from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, where a live audience attended the nearly four hour show.

“Celebrating Black women isn’t a fad or a trend it’s a forever mood” Henson said, opening up the show. “There is more than enough room for all of us to thrive, because can’t nobody be like me and can’t nobody be you like you.”

Critically acclaimed rapper, actress, producer Queen Latifah received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her “amazing success” throughout her decades-long career. Her “sisters in rap” including Lil Kim, Rapsody, MC Lyte and Monie Love all took to the main stage to honor the entertainer with a performance of her classic hits, “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y..” Latifah’s, who got emotional during her speech, thanked her parents, siblings and business partner.

The evening was full of other winners including Megan Thee Stallion who was recognized as “Best Female Hip Hop Artist,” “Best Collaboration,” “Viewer’s Choice” and “Video of the Year.”

Burna Boy, of Nigeria, accepts the best international act award as his mother Bose Ogulu looks on from left at the BET Awards on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Photo: BET Screengrab

Nigerian Artist Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu aka Burna Boy won the Best International Act beating out fellow Nigerian WizKid and Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz. Others

His first football season, Isaiah told us, ‘Wear a jersey with my name on it. I want everyone to know you’re here for me.’

Darnell and Denna, adopted 16-year-old Isaiah LEARN ABOUT ADOPTING A TEEN YO U C A N ’ T I M AG I N E T H E R E WA R D

A D O P T U S K I D S . O R G

nominated in the category were: Aya Nakamura (France), Emicida (Brazil), Headie One (UK) Young T and Bugsey (UK) and Youssoupha (France).

This was Burn Boy’s third consecutive win at the BET Awards, the most by any African. He has won three years consecutively, also a record.

Mshale - The African Community Newspaper

Minneapolis from Pg. 5 stepsibling of any election judge serving in the same precinct or of any candidate in that election • Must not live, either permanently or temporarily, with any candidate on the ballot at that election • Must not be a candidate in the election

City of Minneapolis requirements • Strong understanding of and commitment to nonpartisanship

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• Able to communicate clearly with voters • Enjoy assisting and serving diverse populations • Available to work long hours on Election Day • Handle stressful situations calmly and professionally • Demonstrate attention to detail • Work as a team member and follow directions • Comfortable using technology Fluency in Somali, Spanish, Hmong, Oromo, and/or American Sign Language is desired.

Time off to work as an election judge State law allows for time off from work to serve as an election judge without loss of wages (Minnesota Statute 204B.195).

To qualify, you must provide your employer with at least 20 days written notice and the pay rate you will receive to serve as an election judge. Elections & Voter Services will provide you with this notice.

July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

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Your employer may: • Reduce your salary or wages by the amount you are paid as an election judge during the time you are away from work • Restrict the number of its employees serving as election judges to no more than 20 percent from a single work site You may voluntarily take a vacation day to be fully paid by your employer and receive election judge pay as extra income; however, an employer may not force you to take vacation or any other form of paid leave.

NNPA re-elects committe of five Black women publishers

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) completed its historic virtual convention by unanimously re-electing its all-Black women executive board.

Houston Forward Times Publisher Karen Carter Richards earned a second term as the national chair of the NNPA. Meanwhile, the executive team of Atlanta Voice Publisher Janis L. Ware (First Vice-Chair); County News Publisher Fran Farrer (Second Vice-Chair); New Journal & Guide Publisher Brenda Andrews (Treasurer); and Mississippi Link Publisher Jackie Hampton (Secretary) also won the election to second terms

for their respective positions.

“We are doing some great things,” Carter Richards exclaimed.

“I am excited about the next two years, and to have the support and the trust from the other publishers in the organization and for the five of us to run uncontested says a whole lot.”

The executive team has worked diligently since its election victory in 2019, helping to catapult the Black Press of America to arguably two of the most successful years in the NNPA’s 81-year history.

“I’m looking forward to working with these ladies again,” Carter Richards explained.

(Pictured from left:) New Journal & Guide Publisher Brenda Andrews (Treasurer); Atlanta Voice Publisher Janis L. Ware (First Vice-Chair); Municipal Court Judge Tyrone Yates; County News Publisher Fran Farrer (Second Vice-Chair); Houston Forward Times Publisher Karen Carter Richards (Board Chair); and Mississippi Link Publisher Jackie Hampton (Secretary). Photo: Black Press USA

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You

+ Fair Housing

July 5-11, 2021 Issue 477

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A Better Community

The solution to housing discrimination starts with you. If you have been trying to buy or rent a house or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, contact HUD or your local fair housing center. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status or disability.

Fair Housing Is Your Right. Use It. Visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing or call the HUD Hotline 1-800-669-9777 (English/Español) 1-800-927-9275 (TTY)

SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFO A public service message from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing.