Mshale Newspaper June 12 2023

BY TOM GITAA

Guest Commentary by Congressman James E. Clyburn

A president for every American

In his January 20, 2021, inaugural address, President Joe Biden pledged an administration that looks like America and to “fight as hard for those who did not support [him] as for those who did.” It is clear and convincing that President Biden has kept those promises.

I often say the 117th Congress was the most productive since the 89th and 90th Congresses, which enacted President Lyndon B. Johnson’s vision of a “Great Society” and led to his appointment of the first Black American, Thurgood Marshall, to the United States Supreme Court.

In addition to keeping his promise to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, President Biden has signed into law bold and history-making legislation, to include the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act (C&SA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), and the Honoring Our PACT Act.

The ARP pulled us out of the trenches of the COVID-19 pandemic by investing $350 billion to help state, local, and tribal governments fight the pandemic and build a strong and equitable recovery. We expanded access to health insurance, reopened schools and businesses safely, and expanded the Child Tax Credit, which cut child poverty nearly in half.

The IIJA ushered in over $220 billion in funding and 32,000 specific projects or awards, reaching over 4,500 communities across all 50 states, D.C., and territories in 18 months. The C&SA is strengthening our supply chains and has put us on the fast track to reclaiming our place as a leader in manufacturing on the world stage.

The IRA capped the cost of insulin for Medicare Part D recipients at $35 a month, includes the largest U.S. investment in the fight against the climate crisis ever, and will cut the deficit by an estimated $300 billion.

The BSCA has helped reform policing by investing in community-based violence prevention programs, children and family mental health services, protections for victims of domestic abuse, and support for state red flag laws.

The PACT Act provided our toxic-exposed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with access to lifesaving benefits and care, and rectified some long-standing inequities suffered by our Vietnam veterans.

One would think my Republican colleagues would be celebrating these historic investments. After all, a recent Financial Times report revealed that more than 75% of these capital investments of at least $100 million have gone to Republican-held Congressional districts. But not a single Republican voted for the ARP or the IRA. Only a handful of Republicans supported the IIJA, only 34 House Republicans joined the Democrats to

pass the PACT Act, and only 24 stood alongside us for the C&SA.

My home state of South Carolina serves as a perfect example. I was the lone House member to vote for all six bills. One Republican, Nancy Mace, voted for the PACT Act, and one Republican, Tom Rice, voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Still, that same Financial Times report found that South Carolina is the leading beneficiary of new manufacturing projects that have occurred because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s transformational investments.

Specifically, South Carolina is experiencing a boom because of new manufacturing incentives created by the IRA and the CHIPS and Science Act. We just welcomed Volkswagen’s Scout Motors expansion, an over $2 billion investment that will yield over 4,000 jobs in Blythewood, South Carolina. Last December, Redwood Materials announced a $3.5 billion investment to construct a new electric battery facility in Berkeley County, the largest single economic development in South Carolina’s history.

SEM Wafertech, a new solar manufacturer, just came to Sumter; Proterra, an electric battery manufacturer, is expanding in Greer; and Kontrolmatik, another battery manufacturer is coming to Colleton County. And of course, new incentives for electric vehicles and semiconductor production have made South Carolina well positioned to continue expansions at BMW, Volvo, and SKF.

We are also making foundational investments in our crumbling infrastructure. Earlier this month, we announced over $1.3 billion in ARP funding to modernize and upgrade water infrastructure across over 200 South Carolina communities. And, thanks to the ARP and the IIJA, South Carolina finally has the funding it needs to bring high-speed internet service to every unserved household by the end of 2026.

Our broadband investments not only focus on high-speed access, but also on affordability and adoption. The IIJA created the Affordable Connectivity Program to provide a $30 monthly discount on internet service to all qualifying households. Over 336,000 South Carolinians currently participate in the program.

Our efforts on broadband are underway and yielding tangible results. A recent report listed South Carolina as the 6th best state for internet coverage and price—a 25-spot increase from 2020. This will connect our rural communities to health care and job opportunities, our children to education, and every South Carolinian to opportunity.

We are on the precipice of a future in which this country will continue serving as a beacon of opportunity and advancement for all. President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda is inspiring bold changes, and whether you supported him or not, he is making this country’s greatness accessible and affordable for all.

The author represents South Carolina’s Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House.

UN peacekeepers ‘a beacon of hope and protection’: Guterres

UN News Service

The UN’s 87,000-plus peacekeepers worldwide are “a beacon of hope and protection” for vulnerable civilians, in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, recognizing that last year, another 102 ‘blue helmets’ fell in the line of duty.

He said the men and women that serve, from 125 countries, across 12 operations, were working to support security, stability and the rule of law.

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“They represent the beating heart of the United Nations’ commitment to peace”, said SecretaryGeneral António Guterres.

“By bringing peacekeepers together from around the world, peacekeeping has also become an inspiring symbol of multilateralism in action”, he added, just ahead of presenting the prestigious UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year award to a Ghanian peacekeeper, inside the gilded General Assembly Hall in New York.

But thanks to the increasing complexity of conflict, stagnating peace processes, the constant beat of terrorist activity, armed militia, gang violence and transnational crime, communities, countries and entire regions, are being increasingly poisoned, he said.

Increasingly ‘no peace to keep’

“And the digital world has become a frightening frontier of tension, division,

hate and mis and disinformation.

Sadly, our peacekeepers are increasingly working in places where there is no peace to keep.”

He called for governments represented in the hall to “seriously reflect on the need for a new generation of peace-enforcement missions and counter-terrorism operations”, led by Security Council mandate under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, that could rely on a guaranteed funding stream.

Before the solemn but moving ceremony, the UN chief laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial, honouring the sacrifice made by all those serving under te UN flag.

sacrifice, which inspire our work every day. And I commit to doing everything we can to support our peacekeepers in their mission, including improving their safety and security and the effectiveness of peacekeeping through the Action for Peacekeeping Plus strategy.”

Women ‘leading the way’

Paying tribute to the landmark Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, the UN chief said it reminds “that our women peacekeepers are not only supporting global peace and security.

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“They are leading the way.”

The winner of this year’s Military

missions everywhere.

‘Long live the United Nations’

In her remarks to the ceremony, Cpt. Erzuah, said she was honoured to receive the award, saying it “underscores the tireless efforts and dedication” of her whole platoon, towards gender equality and inclusiveness.

The disputed region of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan, has seen a UN peacekeeping presence since 2011, where the UNIFSA security force works to strengthen police capacity, protect civilians under threat, and help with humanitarian aid and the free movement of aid workers.

“We mourn their loss and share our deepest sympathies with their families, friends and colleagues. We will never forget their contributions”, he said, before leading a moment of silence.

The roll of those who died in service last year was read, on this 75 anniversary of UN Peacekeeping operations, with more than 4,200 killed in total, in the cause of peace.

Embodying ‘duty to peace’

“Our fallen military, police and civilian personnel came from 39 different countries, with diverse backgrounds. But all embodied our duty to peace”, said Mr. Guterres. “I extend my deepest condolences and gratitude to their families, friends, colleagues and home countries represented here.

“I pay tribute to their service and

Gender Advocate award, Captain Cecilia Erzuah of Ghana, embodies leadership in every way, and the principles behind resolution 1325, he said, for her work in Abyei as the Commander of the Ghana Engagement Platoon since March last year.

“In Abyei, she saw first-hand the enormous toll of armed conflict on entire communities — especially women — and she spared no effort to ensure that their voices were heard and reflected”, he added.

Her work reaching out to local communities to hear their concerns, explain the work of peacekeepers, and build trust, as well as engaging with local leadership, women and youth, “has been critical to the mission’s success.”

He said it was “high time” to significantly increase the number of women working in UN peacekeeping

She said her platoon’s work had led to an increase in the number of women joining local, male-dominated community protection committees.

Cpt. Erzuah dedicated her award to “the beautiful people of Abyei” whose memory she would always treasure, and “to all peacekeeping personnel, particularly we women in uniform.

“May our dedication, commitment and love for humanity, never go unrewarded. Long live the United Nations.”

Civilian fallen

The head of Operational Support, Atul Khare, accepted a medal on behalf of the families of 42 civilian peacekeepers, who have “paid the ultimate sacrifice”, from 20 Member States.

He said the best way to honor their memories, was to “rededicate ourselves, and our efforts, to the cause of peace.”

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres (left) on May 25, 2023 presented the 2022 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Captain Cecilia Erzuah from Ghana who served with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Photo: Evan Schneider/UN

President of the Minnesota Senate reflects on his first legislative session

By Tom Gitaa Mshale Editor-in-Chief

The moment when state Senator Bobby Joe Champion was sworn in as president of the Minnesota Senate on January 3, 2023 was historic, as he became the first Black person to assume the role in the state senate’s 165-year history.

The Minnesota Senate is the largest upper house of any state legislature in the country. His election as president came at a time of great prosperity for the state with a record budget surplus. It is common for Black people to be given opportunities to lead hallowed institutions when those institutions are in crisis or facing a severe downturn, a situation referred to as “glass cliff,” but rare for them to be given leadership roles in times of prosperity.

His ascendancy also came when the DFL controlled both houses at the legislature and the governorship (trifecta) for the first time since 2012. All constitutional offices (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, and secretary of state), are also held by Democrats.

Sen. Champion on Monday of last week sat down for an interview with Mshale in the side of downtown Minneapolis that he represents in the senate.

The affable Sen. Champion says he is proud of the accomplishments he and his DFL colleagues achieved in the first session of the 93rd Legislature that

concluded on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, and that he looks forward to building on that record when the second session reconvenes in February.

“It was a great session for all

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of Minnesota and especially those historically marginalized,” the Minneapolis Democrat said. “We passed Restore the Vote, a monumental bill restoring voting rights for over 55,000 fellow Minnesotans who are no longer incarcerated but living among us and contributing to society. We also passed the Jobs and Economic Development budget bill that will support folks all across our great state no matter their zip code, whether they are in the metro or greater Minnesota. We made critical investments in childcare, workforce and economic development so we can build an economy that works for all Minnesotans. You know what? That Jobs and Economic Development bill also had the PROMISE Act which is a bill that I have been carrying for a while that will make our state more equitable for marginalized communities.”

The Jobs and Economic Development bill that Sen. Champion was referencing is a $1.37 billion investment in state spending that he was chief author of that focuses on bolstering workforce development and workplace safety across industries. Sen. Champion also pointed out that the bill Gov. Walz signed into law also includes over $350 million as a state match to compete for over a billion dollars in federal and private investment.

“We are moving our state toward exciting and innovative growth in our economy by approaching industrial policy with a strong focus on bringing new-generation technology into our state. We are positioning Minnesota to lead the nation in semiconductor innovation and bio industrial manufacturing,” said Sen. Champion.

“It’s a very time intensive job and there is nothing part-time about it,” he said when he was asked what he’d learned in the few months as senate president. “I had to do triple duty while our majority leader worked remotely as she recuperated as well as be

president, and of course also fulfill my role as senator for my constituents.”

Three months into the legislative session in March, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic revealed she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent successful surgery. Sen. Champion and Sen. John Marty of Roseville took over the in-person legislative work required. Sen. Dziedzic returned to the Senate floor on May 2, just three weeks to the end of session.

“It was not easy while she was gone but she did a great job remotely and we did what had to be done,” he said. “Sometimes there is no script, as life can throw you a curve ball, but we delivered for the people of Minnesota.”

“That required working with folks from the opposing party to deliver for Minnesotans,” he continued. “Many of the folks opposing Restore the Vote for example would acknowledge privately that it would benefit many of their own constituents in rural Minnesota. If you look at the $1.37 billion jobs and economic development bill, there is money there for every part of the state, so people would oppose it but I don’t think they are going to argue that it does not benefit those they represent, we are making investments for the future competitiveness of the state and you do that when you have a surplus like we had, by building for the future.”

Sen. Champion also said he was happy to be around to see the state elect Black women to the state Senate. Minnesota which had never elected a Black woman to serve in the state Senate, shattered that glass ceiling by electing three in one swoop in November, with one of them, Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, becoming the youngest woman ever to serve in that role.

President Bobby Joe Champion presides over a session during the first of the Minnesota Senate in the 93rd Legislature. He was sworn in as Senate president on January 3, 2023 becoming that body’s first Black president

Photo: Courtesy MN Senate Media

He was full of praise for the trio of Black women senators, describing them as “hardworking and dedicated.” Sen. Champion said Sen. Mohamed approached him and offered to work on the difficult and challenging “Driver’s License for All” that Sen. Champion had chief authored.

“This was not an easy bill as you know it was a heavy lift but she (Sen. Mohamed) was willing to put in the work,” he said. “I was very impressed by that and I let her help me lead it through the Senate. This was a bill that was supported by law enforcement and a lot of folks in local government like the mayors throughout the state but had opposition from the other party. Well, it took many years but we passed the bill as you know and it will improve public safety across our state. Our Black women senators are off to a bright future representing their constituents, don’t forget one of them

Sen. Oumou Verbeten co-authored the CROWN Act that the governor signed into law which bans racial discrimination based on natural hair and Sen. Maye Quade was co-author of the legislation that will now see the provision of free school lunch and breakfast to every student. They are working hard.”

The Senate president also touted the passage of legislation that the governor signed into law that makes Juneteenth a state holiday. In less than two weeks the state will commemorate the first Juneteenth as a state holiday.

“Great nations do not ignore their most painful moments, they face them. We took an important step as a state by deciding to make Juneteenth a state holiday so we can face the pain and suffering caused by the legacy of slavery and segregation. It acknowledges our nation’s struggle and recognizes

the importance of forging our future together,” Sen. Champion said.

As the first Black Senate president, he said “I recognize the importance of the moment and I stand on the shoulders of many who sacrificed their lives so I can be in this position.”

Other issues that came up during the interview included the small number of Black legislators which the Senate president said needs to

increase to better reflect the state’s demographics. The House and Senate combined has 10 Black legislators.

Sen. Champion was born in and raised in Minneapolis. He was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2008 where he served two terms and was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2012 where he has served since. Trailblazing legislation such as Restore the Vote and Juneteenth is not the first time he has taken on thorny societal issues. Prior to becoming Senate president,

Sen. Champion had earned accolades for one of his signature pieces of legislation, “Ban the Box” which went into effect on January 1, 2014. Ban the Box prevents most private employers from asking job applicants on their application if they have been previously convicted of a felony.

“We are here to work for all Minnesotans, no matter where you live, rich or poor,” Sen. Champion said.

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Gov. Tim Walz shakes hands with Senate President Bobby Joe Champion (D-Minneapolis) and Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) prior to giving his State of the State address in the House Chamber Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Photo: A.J. Olmscheid/MN Senate Media

The story behind Juneteenth

Americans will soon celebrate Juneteenth, marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.

For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts.

The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion — it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday. And just as many people learn what Juneteenth is all about, the holiday’s traditions are facing new pressures — political rhetoric condemning efforts to teach Americans about the nation’s racial history, companies using the holiday as a marketing event, people partying without understanding why.

Here is a look at the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and more about its history.

HOW DID JUNETEENTH START?

The celebrations began with enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places in the South until the Civil War ended in 1865. Even then, some white people who had profited from their unpaid labor were reluctant to share the news.

Laura Smalley, freed from a plantation near Bellville, Texas, remembered in a 1941 interview that the man she referred to as “old master” came home from fighting in the Civil War and didn’t tell the people he enslaved what had happened.

“Old master didn’t tell, you know, they was free,” Smalley said. “I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the 19th of June. That’s why, you know, we celebrate that day.”

News that the war had ended and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

Slavery was permanently abolished six months later, when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world. Events include concerts, parades and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.

WHAT DOES ‘JUNETEENTH’ MEAN?

It’s a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day. It began with church picnics and speeches, and spread as Black Texans moved elsewhere.

Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada as well. Hundreds of companies give workers the day off.

Opal Lee, a former teacher and activist, is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The 96-year-old had vivid memories of celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child with music, food and games. In 2016, the “little old lady in tennis shoes” walked through her home city of Fort Worth, Texas and then in other cities before arriving in Washington, D.C. Soon, celebrities and politicians were lending their support.

Lee was one of the people standing next to Biden when he signed Juneteenth into law.

HOW HAVE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS?

The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors, a show of bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that are still simmering three years later.

Now there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education, with community service projects aimed at addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such health care inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.

Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, party ware and ice cream. Some of the marketing has misfired, provoking a social media backlash.

Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.

“In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”

There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the United States — especially in these racially and politically charged days. Said Para LaNell Agboga, museum site coordinator at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas: “Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn’t take much for things to go backward.”

First Independence Bank partners with Operation HOPE for neighborhood credit score analysis

By Mshale Staff

First Independence Bank (FIB) and Operation HOPE last week launched “a transformational partnership” with the goal of empowering people in Twin Cities and Detroit communities through financial coaching, debt counseling, financial education and awareness, and other community programs.The partnership launched with a June 7 “Hope Inside the Twin Cities” economic roundtable at the Neighborhood Development Center in St. Paul, and a June 9 “Hope Inside Detroit” welcome reception and fireside chat in Detroit.

“This initiative is a part of our ongoing commitment to positively impact the people and communities where we do business,” said Kenneth Kelly, chairman and CEO of First Independence Bank. “I couldn’t be more pleased to expand our partnership with Operation HOPE and provide new financial resources and education to people in the Twin Cities and Detroit markets.”

The partnership with Operation HOPE will provide FIB with onsite financial coaches in both the Twin Cities and Detroit. It’s part of the bank’s communitybased approach to financial wellness and provide additional education, insights, tools and resources that will improve people’s lives. Operation HOPE has similar partnerships with financial institutions in other markets.

“First Independence Bank shares our passion and commitment to expand financial literacy in our communities and help consumers and businesses realize their dreams,” said John Hope Bryant, founder & CEO of Operation HOPE.

“When private institutions and community organizations work together to achieve common goals, everyone wins.”

FIB is Minnesota’s first Minority Deposit Institution (MDI) that provides capital, financial services and education to underserved and minority communities. Together with Operation HOPE, FIB will enhance and expand financial wellness and education programs, particularly in unbanked and underbanked communities.

“I’m extremely excited about this partnership and what it means for people and businesses in our local communities,” said Damon Jenkins,

FIB senior vice president & Twin Cities Regional Market President. “A key goal when launching our Twin Cities operations was to provide resources that help close the wealth disparities gap and help individuals improve their credit score. This partnership with Operation HOPE is a great fit and will be an incredible asset to help us reach that goal.”

Financial and community leaders participating in the June 7 announcement and economic round table included:

• John Hope Bryant, founder & CEO, Operation HOPE

• Kenneth Kelly, chairman &

CEO, First Independence Bank

• Damon Jenkins, svp & regional market president, First Independence Bank

• Tawanna Black, founder & CEO, Center for Economic Inclusion

• Renay Dossman, president & CEO, Neighborhood Development Center

• Adair Mosely, president and CEO, African American Leadership Forum

A recap of the roundtable is shared on FIB’s website and social media platforms. More information on the partnership and programs can be found at www.firstindependence.com.

First Independence Bank and Operation HOPE partnership announcement and economic roundtable panel. Left to right, Damon Jenkins, SVP/Twin Cities Reg. Market Pres., Adair Mosley, pres. & CEO AALF, Renay Dossman, pres. & CEO, NDC, Tawanna Black, pres. & founder Ctr. for Economic Inclusion, Kenneth Kelly, chairman, pres. & CEO First Independence Bank and John Hope Bryant, founder & CEO Operation HOPE.

Photo: Emmanuel Duncan/Crown Media

Reparations campaign takes new forms with Bible study, Juneteenth march

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

The long campaign for reparations for slavery in the United States has taken numerous forms.

Members of Congress have supported a commission to study the matter.

A panel in California recently made a formal proposal to the state’s legislature detailing how to provide African Americans with payments of up to $1.2 million. The city of Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago, has started paying stipends to Black residents to be used to buy or improve homes.

Last month, nearly 30 faith and human rights groups, including the Presbyterian Church USA, the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Church of Christ’s social justice ministry, sent a letter to President Biden seeking an executive order to move the debate along.

The National Council of Churches, which recently spearheaded a letter to President Joe Biden, is trying a new tactic: a six-week Bible study.

introduction. “The purpose of this 40-day Bible Study is to educate our communities on the topic of reparations using the scriptures and provide resources to take action on the consideration of reparations for Black Americans.”

Suggestions for additional reading include “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and articles by journalist and reparations advocate Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, a theologian and retired dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary. Scriptures include the parable of the Good Samaritan and Jesus’ Beatitudes, which begin with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

On Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday that adopts a longstanding celebration of the effective end of slavery in 1865, the NCC will gather some 400 faith leaders for a march in Washington, starting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and marching to Lafayette Square across from the White House.

The march caps a week of activities that are set to include a day when the NCC is encouraging congregations to hold “readins” at their churches and urging people to photograph themselves “holding their favorite book or banned book by an African American author,” according to the organization’s website.

Yolanda Savage-Narva, the URJ’s official addressing racial equity, diversity and inclusion, said she plans to attend the Justice on Juneteenth March to show solidarity with Christian leaders.

Pastor Les Robinson interacts with members of the congregation at The Sanctuary Church Sunday, May 14, 2023, in Santa Clarita, Calif. For Black Californians who have watched for nearly two years as the state has come further than any other in its consideration of reparations for African Americans, the approval of restitution proposals by a historic task force marks a moment some never thought would come and one others say is a long time coming.

She and Green will be bringing some of the students’ longer-term recommendations, which range from developing a reparations curriculum at URJ summer camps to building broader coalitions with Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu groups, to their organizations for further consideration.

“Over the course of this project, the determination, joy, and laughter shared while collaborating over Zoom calls and meetings demonstrated the power of interfaith efforts,” the report concluded. “Across the United States, interfaith advocacy has propelled local reparations efforts, and the same joint energy is needed in national advocacy for reparations.”

People demonstrate outside the Minnesota capitol building on Juneteenth to demand reparations from the United States government for years of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, redlining, and violence against black people from police, on June 19, 2020, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“We think a Bible study would be another mechanism, another resource to educate parishioners in many of our member communions on the issue of reparative justice,” said the Rev. Stephen A. Green, the NCC’s civic engagement and outreach consultant, “and to use that as a way to continue to galvanize public support to encourage President Biden to issue an executive order on reparative justice.”

The Bible study, set to begin via the NCC’s YouTube channel on Tuesday (June 13) as a model for future in-person use, is one suggestion submitted in a report put together by students at Harvard University’s Kennedy School and divinity school, working with NCC and Union for Reform Judaism representatives.

The “Reparative Justice Bible Study” explains different types of reparations as well as H.R. 40, the legislation first proposed in 1989 to study and explore reparations as a response to “the vestiges of slavery and racial injustice.” The study plan also offers ideas such as asking “And who is my neighbor?” and describing the “ethic of restitution.”

“The case for restitution and restoration is laid out across the Old Testament and New Testament,” reads the study’s

“It’s important for me to be there to represent as a Black woman,” she said. “It’s also important for me to be there as someone who is Jewish because I’m also representing the Jewish community and its support for this as well.”

The Harvard students’ report contains other long-term ideas for acknowledging and planning for resistance to reparations.

“We have to ensure that when we talk about repair and reparative justice, that we think of it holistically, that we don’t think of it only as direct cash payments,” said Green, pastor of St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem. “There’s also a way to engage and ensure that the climate is more compatible for living and thriving and education systems are created that empower and affirm the dignity of all people.”

Savage-Narva said the resources for congregations being prepared by the URJ’s Religious Action Center — which were refined by the Harvard students — will include history that may help educate those resistant to the idea of reparative justice.

“It’s important to also acknowledge that Holocaust survivors also received reparations from the government of Germany and that there are other groups in the United States who have also received reparations,” she said, adding that moral and spiritual aspects should be part of the conversations in Jewish communities and more broadly.

“It’s repair. It’s truth and reconciliation.”

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Photo: Fibonacci Blue/Creative Commons

Return engagement of Gili Yalo greeted with enthusiasm at the Cedar

By Susan Budig Mshale

Gili Yalo, Ethiopian-Israeli musician, took the stage at the Cedar Cultural Center on June 1st along with his four-piece band and offered a buffet of music replete with international diversity. Many of the fourteen songs they played started with a distinct Reggae flavor then would shift into blues or jazz or Ethiopian dance music.

Understanding Gili’s background helps shed light on his musicianship. Born in Ethiopia, living as refugees in Sudan, then carted off to Israel created a mishmash of sounds Gili heard growing up even when he pointedly did not want to hear some of them.

“I was running away from everything Ethiopian,” he tells the audience in an effort to describe how he eventually came to play Ethiopian music and sing in Amharic. But avoiding his first culture’s food and music and dress and culture became an anathema for him as he discovered he truly gravitated toward his own roots.

“To go toward the future,” he summarized, “you don’t have to forget your past.”

They promptly played “Selam,”

sung in Amharic. Several people in the audience including some children begin to dance with their shoulders known as Eskista, a style of dancing endemic to Ethiopia and its neighboring country, Eritrea. At one point, Gili joins an eskista dancer, jumping to the floor, as they both shimmy their shoulders with tremendous skill.

Gili wears form-fitting trousers and lounge jacket both in a grey windowpane check. His button up, long-sleeved, jersey-collar shirt is a geometric design of orange, white, and blush colors. He struts, jumps, and hops about the stage wearing white sneakers and black and white checked socks.

Fashion on stage was also beautifully

featured in the opening act by DJ Fawzi, the first Somali International female DJ. Fawzi worked diligently to warm up the audience that was initially sparse and subdued. But she persevered and eventually brought at least forty people to their feet with her mostly African set of vinyls. Only a quick tribute to Tina Turner diverted from an excellent range of African songs.

Forty-five minutes later, a crowd of nearly 100 people, mostly pre-sale ticket holders, are fully engaged, dancing, clapping, and attempting to follow Gili’s call-and-response songs. Gili’s sound is so unique and eclectic, it’s addictive. It’s unlike other genres because it’s such an amalgamation of styles. He doesn’t have a raft of horns, but a single trumpet player. He sings in both Amharic and English. Occasionally, Gili sneaks over to the piano to add some keyboard to the mix. There’s a clear synchrony among the various bandmates.

For the encore of this 75 minute show, when isn’t there an encore?, they play two numbers: Belomi and Addis Abeba Bete.

Gili says, “We don’t need any borders…I truly believe we have so many other things to fight in this world, we don’t need to fight one another.”

Darnell

adopted 16-year-old Isaiah

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.’

Gili Yalo performs during his return engagement at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on June 1, 2023.

Photo: Susan Budig/Mshale