THE VOICE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1934
1934 - 20 19
North Mpls history told by residents who lived it
People listen to the “Northside Oral History Project,” to the voices of Black people who have lived in North Minneapolis over the last 50 years about the community’s history, at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum By Sam Jones Contributing Writer
lymouth and Penn Avenue in North Minneapolis has a tall new building across the street from the Urban League. Inside the new building, the Regional Acceleration Center, is a well of local Black history on the fourth floor that houses the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, which opened in 2018. Starting on the left side
of the museum is an exhibit called “History Harvest,” which tells the history of the African American community in North Minneapolis. In the back left corner of the museum is an exhibit called “Unbreakable,” its chronological panels spanning most of the room, that details early Black settlers in Minnesota from the 1800s to present-day. Tucked away on the left side of the room in between the “History Harvest” and “Unbreakable” displays lies anoth-
er North Minneapolis display — this one, though, has the direct voices of the Black people who have lived in North Minneapolis. The “Northside Oral History Project” was put together by ReCAST Minneapolis, a City initiative, which stands for Resilience in Communities After Stress & Trauma, aimed at promoting equity through community youth engagement programs and behavioral health services. The “Northside Oral History Project” exhibit is a series
of interviews with Blacks who lived on the Northside of Minneapolis over the past 50 years, telling their stories of how the community has changed throughout the years. “So our project was really conceived as a way of community members being empowered to tell their own stories,” said ReCAST Minneapolis program manager Ebony Adedayo. Sitting down in the chair, putting on the headphones and listening to various community members talk about how their community has changed is a visceral approach to engaging with history. The participants and their stories paint memories of community warmth. “People choose to live here for a reason,” Adedayo said, It’s not a dangerous place, it is all of these other things at the same time.” Right from the community’s mouth Community members touch on various topics ranging from gentrification to discrimination and hope for the future. Adedayo stressed that ReCAST did not come up with the topics for the community members. “We didn’t want to be leading in the way that people told these stories,” Adedayo ■ See History on page 8
Project advances Power
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August 15–21, 2019 Vol. 86 No. 2 www.spokesman-recorder.com
of everyday PeoPle against environmental racism By Lucy Vilankulu Contributing Writer In 2003, James Trice found himself out of a job. After Trice worked for years at Children’s Home Society and Family Services (Now Children’s Home Society & Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota), the organization eliminated Trice’s position as well as a program he had innovated that showed clients how to engage directly with city and state government to get their needs met and their voices heard on policies that affect them.
That program was the Public Policy Project, and in 2003 Trice turned it into an independent, nonpartisan ■ See trice on page 8
BLACK BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
NATHANIEL STEWART, JR.
PSYCHOLOGY AND REHABILITATION
St. Paul psychologist maximizes mental improvement By Julia Johnson Contributing Writer Dr. Nathaniel Stewart Jr. has been a psychologist for over 35 years. Stewart, a New Jersey native and son to a minister, knew early on that he wanted to be a psychologist. He left New Jersey after high school to attend Central State University, a public, historically Black Stewart
■ See BBs on page 8
Celebrating 85 years of MSR’s archives
Anniversary 1934 - 20 19
THIS MONTH 35 YEARS AGO ... Throughout its 85th year, the MSR is taking a look back through its archives. This week the paper takes a 35-year leap into Aug. 1984.
By Solomon Gustavo Editor-in-chief
BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT SPIKES As the summer Prince released Purple Rain wound down, the national Black unemployment rate was on the rise. Black unemployment is typically about double that of White unemployment according to figures kept by the United States Department of Labor. The highest the rate has been for Blacks since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started keeping track in 1972 was 21 percent in 1983, but Black joblessness was spiking again, clearing 16 percent in July and Aug. 1984 as people shimmied to “Let’s Go Crazy.” I Would Die 4 a job was very much the vibe as the unemployment rate rose for Americans as a whole, reported the MSR in its Aug. 16 issue, averaging about 7.5 percent in July. Black unemployment didn’t hit 16 percent again till 2010. It’s been declining, alongside the rest of the country, since 2011, but plateaued in 2016 and sat at 6 percent in July 2019.
Purlie, Purlie at Penumbra
Cast of the Penumbra Theater’s 1984 production of “Purlie, Purlie.”
MSR file photo
Penumbra Theater was founded in 1976 as a place for Black plays by Lou Bellamy, the stage director, actor and producer. Just shy of their first decade in business, the theater opened its production of the 1961 play Purlie Victorious — which they titled Purlie, Purlie — Aug. 2, 1984. The play was about a preacher returning to a small, Jim-Crow-era Georgia town and attempting to buy his beloved church in order to make it a Black bastion, and scheme to free his people from the societal shackles of Jim Crow laws.
Mpls woman a force in metro racquetball tourneys The Twin Cities’ racquetball scene had a miniSerena Williams on its enclosed courts. In the early 1980s, Minneapolitan mother-of-three Martha Arradondo won a string of trophies in and around the metro, writes the MSR. In 1984 alone, the bank teller, grocery store cashier, and downtown YWCA racquetball instructor, won the B class Medalist Pro-Am Tourney, the Southview Racquet Club Tourney C class, the Invitational Pro-Am B class, the Duff’s Celebrity Tourney C class, second place at something called the Pumpkin Classic Eagan Club, the Normandale Grand Prix Summer Tourney first place, the Brook Park Open B class Arradondo surrounded by her Black excellence title, and the Plymouth MSR file photo Racquet Club B class second place. Arradondo, the paper pointed out, was an avid roller skater. Solomon Gustavo welcomes reader responses to firstname.lastname@example.org. These 85th Anniversary historical stories are brought to you by sponsorship support from The Minneapolis Foundation and Seward Co-op.
February 16-22, 2017
August 15–21, 2019
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Aug. 22 – Labor Day, Sept. 2
August 15–21, 2019
A cool solution to hair loss from cancer chemotherapy
By Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD This column, previously published in May 2017, is reprinted here by popular demand.
ith respect to cancer treatment, chemotherapy has been extremely beneficial and effective. Unfortunately, it brings with it a common and undesirable side effect: hair loss. In fact, a small percentage of women will actually decline chemotherapy out of a desire not to lose their hair. Fortunately, research and practice in Europe have brought new promise in minimizing the side effect of hair loss. Researchers have discovered that by reducing the temperature of the scalp during chemotherapeutic sessions, the cooling measure has a significant protective effect in preventing or greatly reducing the hair loss experienced by many patients undergoing the cancer treatments.
The concept is rational and straightforward: The cooling of the skin of the scalp causes the blood vessels to shrink, and it reduces the total blood flow in the skin of the scalp that surrounds the hair follicles. With less blood flowing to the area, there is much less of the chemotherapeutic drug available to affect the hair follicles. Less drug exposure results in less hair loss. Both studies used a scalp cooling system where a chilled liquid coolant is continuously circulated inside a cooling cap that covers the head. The cooling is started before the initiation of chemotherapy, and the scalp cooling is continued for 90 minutes after the chemotherapy is discontinued. This machineregulated, circulating system offers better temperature regulation over the older versions where caps filled with liquid coolant were kept frozen and changed out every 30 minutes or so. The treatment itself is very well tolerated. No patient discontinued their participation in either study due to treatment discomfort. Most patients reported that the treatments were a bit chilly and mildly uncomfortable for just the first few minutes, after which the treatment became almost undetectable. The results are both impressive and promising. It should be noted that there are several different chemotherapeutic agents used, so results are both dependent on the participant’s individual genetic re-
sponse and the chemotherapeutic medicine used. Overall, among patients undergoing chemotherapy and using the scalp cooling system, 55 percent kept at least half or more of their hair, and approximately seven percent of the treated patients kept all
Currently, the scalp cooling systems are not widely available but are becoming more so. It is rarely covered by insurance, so the cost is paid out-of-pocket by the majority of patients using it, and the cost averages about $2,000 for a set of treatments. Patients and physicians
Cooling cap their hair. In contrast, women undergoing chemotherapy who did not use the cooling system experienced a significant or total scalp hair loss a frustrating 95 percent of the time. The scalp cooling systems used in the two studies were 1) the Digni Cap and 2) the Paxman Scalp Cooling System. Both systems have been FDA-cleared. Experts comment that this type of treatment is best for the chemotherapy required for solid cancers, such as breast cancer, but not for liquid/blood cancers.
alike are hopeful that insurance providers will provide better coverage as the procedure gains popularity and demonstrates continued effectiveness. Patients and physicians both acknowledge that not every patient will want scalp cooling treatments. This choice is analogous to the case where not every woman has breast reconstructive surgery or elects to wear a hairpiece. For some patients, hair retention helps to preserve selfesteem; for others, it offers a measure of control over an involuntary
and very difficult situation. Nevertheless, most believe that every person should have the option of using a scalp cooling system to preserve hair during chemotherapy treatments. Fortunately, the scalp cooling systems are here now and becoming more readily available. Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD is a board-certified dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a Benedict Distinguished Visiting Professor of biology at Carleton College. He also has a private practice, Crutchfield Dermatology in Eagan, MN. He received his MD and Master’s Degree in molecular biology and genomics from the Mayo Clinic. He has been selected as one of the top 10 dermatologists in the United States by Black Enterprise magazine. Minnesota Medicine recognized Dr. Crutchfield as one of the 100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in Minnesota. Dr. Crutchfield specializes in skin-of-color and has been selected by physicians and nurses as one of the leading dermatologists in Minnesota for the past 18 years. He is the team dermatologist for the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Lynx. Dr. Crutchfield is an active member of both the American and National Medical Associations and president of the Minnesota Association of Black Physicians. He can be reached at CrutchfieldDermatology.com or by calling 651-209-3600.
Pediatricians decry racism’s devastating effects on children’s health The only cure is facing ‘the lie’ A policy statement issued on July 29 by the nation’s largest group of pediatricians warns that racism can have devastating long-term effects on children’s health. This policy statement, from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), is the first issued to its members on the dangers of racism. Doctors involved in the report said that the current political and cultural environment makes the work needed more urgent. The report comes at a time when racism is dominating headlines driven by racist tweets from President Trump that have, in turn, inspired chants at his rallies, the rise in White nationalism and, most recently, the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas — 29 dead and dozens wounded, including a number of children. Enola Aird, founder and president of Community Healing Network (CHN),
says regarding the AAP policy statement: “This policy statement should set off alarm bells in the Black community. The nation’s pediatricians are warning us that the health dangers posed to
our children by racism ‘have become acute.’ “They correctly describe racism as ‘a socially transmitted disease passed down through generations leading to the inequities observed in our population today.’ “We as a community, of course, already knew that. The question is: What do we
do about it in this new era of White supremacy? ‘The AAP has made a wide range of pretty reasonable recommendations using the usual language from our culture’s standard dictionary on racism, including ‘racial equality,’ ‘racial equity,’ ‘institutional structures,’ and ‘implicit and explicit biases.’ As far as Black children are concerned, however, the pediatricians have failed to come up with a diagnosis and cure that gets to the root of the problem. “Their recommendations are essentially more of the same — destined to yield more of the same. In light of the growing crisis facing Black children, we as a community must come up with a more accurate diagnosis and treatment that acknowledges and addresses the root cause of racism against Black children: the myth of Black inferiority.
“That myth, or as we prefer to call it, the lie, of Black inferiority, was devised centuries ago to justify the enslavement of Black people. It dehumanized Black people and placed us at the bottom rung of humanity. Nev-
Courtesy of CHN ery other area of life. It is the reason why our children’s lives are devalued. The reason why we worry so much about losing them. “Unless we insist that pediatricians and everyone else concerned about Black chil-
Since CHN was launched in 2006, its primary mission has been to actively address the psychological damage that people of African ancestry have suffered because of the centuries-old “lie” that Black people are inferior. In collaboration with the As-
“The lie continues to negatively affect the world’s perceptions of Black children and Black children’s perceptions of themselves.” er mind all the constitutional amendments and legislation aimed at promoting racial equality. The lie continues to negatively affect the world’s perceptions of Black children and Black children’s perceptions of themselves. “The lie is at the root of the glaring disparities between Black and White children in health, safety, education, employment, wealth, mass incarceration, and nearly ev-
dren have the insight and courage to name and address that root cause, our children will continue to be devastated.” Read the full AAP policy statement at www.aappublications.org/news/2019/07/29/racism072919. Information provided by the Community Healing Network (CHN), a nonprofit organization based in New Haven, CT.
sociation of Black Psychologists, CHN is leading a global movement to train thousands of Emotional Emancipation (EE) Circle support group leaders across the Diaspora to heal the wounds of racism and create a new culture of emotional healing, wellness and empowerment in Black communities. For more information, visit www.communityhealingnet.org.
August 15–21, 2019
Growing wealth disparities portend a troubled U.S. future An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics. — Plutarch The causes which destroyed the ancient republics were numerous; but one principal cause was the vast inequality of fortunes. — Noah Webster We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both. — Louis Brandeis
here has been a lot of talk these past couple years of America’s booming economy. We’ve all heard that there are record-low unemployment numbers, increasing wages, and significant job growth across a number of sectors. In fact, the number of manufacturing jobs created in 2018 is the most the United States has seen since 1997. Nonetheless, a pair of Stanford University economics professors, Paul Oyer and Lenny Mendonca, reveal that in spite of these trends, income inequality in the United States is “only getting worse.” The two add
that more and more Americans are finding it extremely difficult to meet their most basic needs such as affordable housing, adequate nutrition, suitable health care, quality education, and reliable transportation. In a recent interview published by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Oyer and Mendonca speak directly to what they see as the causes of this rapidly growing inequality, including globalization, inequitable tax laws, purging of regulatory policies, pullback of consumer protections, and other practices that concentrate wealth in the hands of just a few. Oyer notes that the annual income (in real wages) of someone without a college degree is lower today than it was in 1969, noting “That’s unheard of.” When discussing strategies to reverse these appalling inequities, they emphasize, in addition to significant policy shifts, the importance of education. And while the approach of
Paul Oyer Oyer and Mendonca is largely academic, the issue they seem to gloss over completely is that of race. In particular, they ignore the role of systematic racism on America’s income and wealth gaps. Since they don’t take on the subject, I wish to tackle it a bit myself. For example, according to the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances, the average wealth of a White American family in 1963 was more than $120,000 higher than that of a non-White American family. Over the past 56 years, the wealth gap between White families and families of color has increased sevenfold.
Moreover, a report from the Economic Policy Institute (2018 State of America Working Wages) shows the income gap between White and African American workers continues to widen. According to the study, the median wage of Black Americans was approximately 80 percent of the median wage for Whites. Today, the average Black wage is down to 73 percent of the average White wage. It is estimated that in the next two decades or so a majority of America’s population will be people of color. As you couple that fact with the mounting income and wealth gaps — which are particularly pernicious to current minority communities — ask what that means for America. While Oyer and Mendonca circumvent the topic of race in their analysis, they certainly have a theory of what might happen in the United States should inequality between the haves and the have nots continue to swell. They suggest that such dramatic disparities will quite likely lead to authoritarianism and an America where leaders “promise a return to the past.” Wait! What? Oh yeah…that’s already underway.
Lenny Mendonca Courtesy of Stanford University
Clarence Hightower is the executive director of Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties. Dr. Hightower holds a Ph.D. in urban higher education from Jackson State University. He welcomes reader responses to 450 Syndicate Street North, St. Paul, MN 55104.
Is winning in sports the only thing? A new program encourages us to rethink that notion By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer Youth sports today have become more a “win at all costs” ordeal as opposed to, among other things, activity that simply provides fun and good physical fitness to youngsters. Former University of Minnesota basketball star Lea B. Olsen is determined to liberate sports from so narrow a focus and bring attention to their broader benefits. A recent National Alliance for Youth Sports poll found that 70 percent of youngsters quit sports by age 13 because they aren’t having fun anymore. Parents often are pressuring their child or children to be the best athletes in hopes of securing a college athletic scholarship, mainly because they can’t afford college tuition and other related costs. In too many cases, youngsters become so focused on someday becoming a pro athlete that they don’t have a “Plan B” if their primary goal isn’t met. “For some reason we created a scenario with our kids that to be a great athlete…is enough” and anything less isn’t ac-
ceptable, Olsen observes. The Minneapolis-born broadcaster as a result has launched Rethink to Win, a new “multi-channel” resource for athletes, parents, coaches and others “to rethink the world of youth sports,” she states on her website. Herself a former high school and college athlete who later became a broadcaster and motivational speaker, Olsen says, “I’ve worked in sports my whole life. If I didn’t have sports, I don’t know where I’d be. “My family didn’t have money, and we didn’t have connections [to colleges]. Sports opened a world to me that wasn’t there.” However, once her two children, both now in college, got into sports, “I was seeing a different world than when I came through,” she says. Now she has pledged to use her influence and connections from her work in the youth sports world to help reshape its current oft-negative culture. “I consider myself an advocate for athletes. I love working with athletes,” Olsen says. When their children both
Lea B. Olsen
participated in sports, Olsen and her husband tried hard not to put undue pressure on them. “I’m seeing so much intensity because [parents] want their kids to become great athletes. It’s taking away from some of the learning experiences and the
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Photo by Charles Hallman fun of playing, because the expectations are so high. “Not everyone is going to be a great athlete, and that’s OK, too,” she points out. “It’s OK for your kids to play sports and have an average career.” She remembers asking her son his thoughts of her presence at his basketball games. “I asked him if he’s OK with me just cheering positively,” and he said he didn’t want anything to distract him from listening to his coach,
She adds that undue pressure to succeed in sports can differ according to race and socioeconomic status, especially if sports are viewed as the only way to succeed in life: “I personally agree that every family has a different feel of what [sports] is for them.” Her primary reason for starting Rethink the Win is to provide “a gathering resource” for players, coaches, parents and others involved in youth sports, Olsen
ketball Association, for example, invited her to speak to players and parents at the group’s annual tip-off event. Olsen says that WCCO-AM Radio also has reached out to her to make regular appearances on a weekly basis to speak on youth sports. As for being successful on the field or on the court as well as in the classroom, “I don’t see why we can’t do both,” Olsen says. “We know the stats on [how] sports keep kids in school and con-
“I’m seeing so much intensity because parents want their kids to become great athletes.”
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or playing his best, she recalled. “What I did was keep the [score] book at the basketball games,” Olsen says proudly. “I was well-behaved. That’s how I put myself in check. “When you are using sports to try to get to something better, it becomes intense because it is everything,” Olsen observes of those “backstage” parents. She advises that sports be put in proper perspective as it pertains to a youngster’s overall development if they choose to play sports.
explains. She also started a “Youth Sports Intervention” podcast where she and invited guests — professional athletes, coaches, sports psychologists and parents — will discuss various issues and share personal stories to show that sports is much more than winning. “I came up with it from scratch,” Olsen says of her new venture that kicked off this past spring. “I always thought at the very least I could go speak to athletes, which is what I do [regularly].” The White Bear Lake Bas-
nected. Athletes do better in school. Girls who participate in sports don’t get pregnant. We want to keep them in sports and support them while they are in it. “I want to support kids to be full people” and not just be athletes. For more information, go to www.RethinkTheWin.com. Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.
August 15–21, 2019
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR) welcomes and values commentary and feedback from the community. The articles found here are edited for clarity and/or space, but the opinions are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of the MSR.
Calling out racism, White supremacy and White nationalism is more vital than ever By Stacy M. Brown Contributing Commentator
Mpls council should vote down paltry Jamar Clarke settlement By Solomon Gustavo Editor-in-chief
ew things are consistent when comparing Blacks and Whites, from employment to jurisprudence. Black unemployment is historically, consistently twice as bad as White unemployment (see Front Page). The main factor in the difference — race. Minneapolis has agreed to two high-profile settlements in 2019 because its police killed people. The White woman’s murderer is behind bars and her family received $20 million from the City. The murdered Black man’s family just agreed to a $200,000 settlement from the City and Clark’s murderer still works for the Minneapolis Police Department. Honestly, half as good/twice as bad would be a huge victory here. Instead, it’s the local microcosm of more of the same; a shot at justice and recompense for Whites, and Black people wiping spit from their eyes while being told that everyone is treated equally. Even without every bit of information, does anything seem consistent here? Example 1: Minneapolis police kill White woman Justine Ruszczyk, surname Damond, in July 2017. The murderer, Black man Mohamed Noor, was fired from the force, convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to over 12 years in prison. Damond’s family received a $20 million settlement from the City.
Example 2: Minneapolis police kill Black man Jamar Clark Nov. 2015. The murderer, White man Dustin Schwarze, was not charged with a crime and is still paid to patrol people, Black people. Settlement talks between the City and Clark’s family broke down, particularly around the request to at least have the murdering officer fired from the force and to match the $20 million Damond settlement before the family agreed to a $200,000 settlement. The main difference — race. This is blatant, naked, taunting racism. The Minneapolis City Council is left with the decision to officially approve the tentative settlement and can do so as soon as Aug. 23. They should vote down the settlement. The history of the Clark case shows many in Minneapolis don’t care about Black people — or care a great deal about Black dehumanization. Returning the settlement with a clear directive to Minneapolis City Attorney Susan Segal and City staff for a settlement in the ballpark of what the Damond family received will also send a message that somewhere in the City administration there lies care for Black life and dignity. Solomon Gustavo welcomes reader responses to email@example.com.
A national crisis: surging hate crimes and White supremacists By Charlene Crowell Contributing Commentator A Saturday morning shooting rampage in El Paso, Texas on Aug. 3 took the lives of 22 people, and seriously injured more than two dozen others. Reportedly, the alleged shooter wanted to kill as many Mexicans as he could. Armed with safety glasses, ear coverings, and an assault-style rifle, the shooter entered a Walmart store during a back-to-school sale. “Saturday’s attack on El Paso was an attack on the Mexican heritage of millions of Americans — and also part of a history of White supremacist and nativist acts in Texas across three centuries,” wrote Hector Tobar, in a re-
cent New York Times op-ed. Tobar, an associate professor at the University of California at Irvine is also a published author. Later that day during evening hours and nearly 1,600 miles away in Dayton, Ohio, another gunman’s attack left 9 people dead and 27 injured in that city’s Oregon District. Like the Texas shooter, Ohio’s shooter was heavily armed but was shot by police before he could enter a nightclub where he could have killed far more. The victims of this shooting reflected the city’s diversity and included Blacks, Latinos, and Whites. How in a span of only 24-hours, could two cities in different states and regions suffer mass shootings — one
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in a city only a few miles from the nation’s southern border, and the other, a former Midwestern manufacturing hub? Despite the shock of two unprovoked attacks, family and community members in both cities must somehow cope through their grief while preparing funeral arrangements. These two communities are also challenging governmental officials at both the state and federal levels to take actions to prevent further fatalities. Nationally, a profusion of prayers and condolences from the nation together signaled that a tragic moment
he specter of White nationalists, neo-Nazis, White supremacists and others that wrongly maintain that the American flag and free speech provide them with moral justification and protection for their abhorrent behaviors has seen too many journalists frame their inadequate coverage under a cloak of “objectivity.” Journalism is reverting to the impersonal mode of coverage that chronicled the Civil Rights Movement: The Spectator’s Perspective. That the President of the United States can get away with telling four American citizens and congresswomen of color to “go back to your country,” reminds too many Black journalists of a strikingly similar message from Alabama Governor George Wallace, a Democrat, more than 50 years ago. During his 1963 inaugural speech, Wallace said: “I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever.” In its All Things Considered and Radio Diaries series, NPR called the speech, “A fiery pledge forgiven, but not forgotten.” “Reflecting on his response to the speech at the time,” writes NPR, “Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, originally from Alabama, says he took Wallace’s words personally. ‘My governor, this elected official, was saying in effect, you are not welcome, you are not welcome. Words can be very powerful. Words can be dangerous,’ Lewis says. ‘Gov. Wallace never pulled a trigger. He never fired a gun. But in his speech, he created the environment for others to pull the trigger, in the days, the weeks and months to come.’”
life stories, and viewpoints have resulted in a different standard for objectivity, are often best served by the Black Press. While the nation heralded the bravery of reporters who were embedded with front line troops during the war in Vietnam, the first to be covered by television, few knew the names of the many Black journalists who risked their lives to expose the truth of the criminal-level hatred that filled the pages of the Black Press during the same period of our history. Similarly, it’s important that Black journalists and other journalists of color apply our unique insights and perspectives to confront and report the truth of our modern and increasingly racist hate-filled era. “It appears that way because we are witnessing the dismantling of so many important pillars of our system of government,” said Madison Paige, the founder and CEO of Bold Blue Campaigns, a grassroots-supported political consultancy. “Regardless of what political party you affiliate with, what we see under the current administration is recognizably destructive. It stands to send the country back, not decades, but centuries,” Paige said. However, “the Black Press of America is saying, ‘No, this is unacceptable, and we won’t go back,’” she said. Many are realizing that the myth of White supremacy is easily debunked, said Essence Cohen Fields, a Pennsylvania-based licensed professional counselor. “The increased violence and blatant expression of hate is a direct correlation to the White supremacists’ fear of being viewed as, dare I say, equal, and people are no longer getting their information from one or two sources” said Fields. The Black Press now has a global connection
Reporting both sides of a viewpoint may enable a publication to boast about high journalistic standards but ignoring larger truths in the process nullifies any benefits gained. Earlier this month, while in the midst of a rant-by-racist-tweet barrage from the fingertips of President Trump, the New York Times ran the headline, “Trump Urges Unity vs. Racism.” Many Times readers reacted by threatening to cancel their subscription. The press is the only privately-owned institution specifically mentioned by name in the U.S. Constitution. Our words have power and powerful words have a responsibility to speak truth to those that are listening. Telling the truth, in its entirety, is the most objective stance any journalist can take on any subject. The race to present White-leaning objectivity in news coverage leads large institutions, like the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, and others, to bestow credence and importance through their coverage – or lack thereof – to the hate speech and acts taking place during today’s resurgence of the Civil Rights Movement. Mainstream press’ coverage also serves as a reminder that people of color, whose realities, The NAACP is additionally calling for the passage of the bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. Passed on a bipartisan House vote of 240-190 on Feb. 27, the bill has yet to be taken up by the Senate. The bill would address
that has allowed for a restoration of pride in being of African descent, which is uncomfortable for some, she said. Since the founding of the Black Press 192 years ago, African American-owned newspapers have served their communities in a way no other publications have. White supremacists hold as big of a platform as they have had since the civil rights movement, said Nikita Banks, a psychotherapist, clinical social worker, and host of the Black Therapist Podcast. “Newsrooms are biased against people of color. Diversity in the media is necessary more than ever,” Banks said. “But we also have to create a resurgence of our Black publications and cultivate a space where they not only exist but thrive again,” she said. Stacy is an NNPA Newswire contributor and author of the new book, Celebrity Trials: Legacies Lost, Lives Shattered, So What’s the Real Truth.
11,456 fatal encounters with police and members of the public were reported. At the same time, the emergence of hate groups has been on the rise, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). “The
Our organizations are united in saying that Members of Congress can no longer look away as communities of color are murdered with impunity. We must all unite and demand accountability.” may yet be transformed into a groundswell movement that reckons with the American conscience. The profusion of assault weapons combined with easy access is a gripping issue that confronts us all. In response to these and other tragedies, a rainbow coalition of leaders held a noon rally on Aug. 6 in the nation’s capital. In a joint statement, the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights was joined by key partners including but not limited to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Voto Latino, the Center for Community Self-Help and the Center for Responsible Lending. “None of this is acceptable,” said the leaders in a written statement. “None of this is normal.
both background check requirements for firearms, and firearm transfers between private individuals. Too many times in recent years, our unique Black American experience remains at risk as a people. In 1998, the body of James Byrd, Jr., a Black, 49-year old Jasper, Texas man was ripped to pieces as it was drug over a mile and a half by Whites driving a pick-up truck. Other and more recent heinous hate crimes remind us of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice — just to name a few. According to Rutgers University, Black men today are 2.5 times more likely than White men to be victims of violence. From 2013 to 2017,
total number of hate groups rose to 1,020 in 2018, up about 7 percent from 2017,” wrote Heidi Beirich, who leads SPLC’s Intelligence Project and its award-winning publication, The Intelligence Report. Its report released this February found that White nationalist groups grew from 100 in 2017 to 148 the following year, 2018 — a 50 percent growth. Other hate groups — anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Muslim — also grew during these same years from 233 to 264. While the Ku Klux Klan dominated hate groups in the Jim Crow and civil rights eras, its presence across the country now appears to have been eclipsed by the growth of neo-Nazis, White nationalists, and skin head organizations.
SPLC’s Hate Map by State shows that the largest number of statewide hate groups are located in California (83), Florida (75), and Texas (73). At the local level, additional hate organizations currently operate in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tallahassee. Beyond these three states, hate groups can also be found in 45 other states and in more metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Just as the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prompted the enactment of major civil rights legislation, now is another time for our nation to stand up to the many forms of domestic terrorism that plague the nation. People of conscience and principle have a duty to stand up, speak out for the fullness of our “inalienable rights.” Charlene Crowell is an NNPA Newswire contributor and the Center for Responsible Lending’s communications deputy director.
August 15–21, 2019
One lean, symmetrical machine North Mpls native wins ‘Mr. Minnesota’ title
By Solomon Gustavo Editor-in-Chief
odybuilders look like they can pick up a pickup with their pinky. But they’re judged on striking poses that display leanness and symmetry. Each macho, delicate pose is a bit of musculature choreography striking a pleasant form. Executing that imposing and subtle dance has been the recent hobby of 21-year-old North Minneapolis native Robert Sanigular. The upstart has shown a knack for bodybuilding, winning his first two contests outright. In the last, he was selected from over 30 competitors and named Mr. Minnesota in the National Physique Committee’s Men’s State Championships in Burnsville in June. The win qualifies him for regionals in Chicago next summer. With the immediate success, bodybuilding has blossomed from hobby to a big part of Sanigular’s life. “I want to get a pro card,” says the newly crowned state champ, bodybuilding parlance for going pro. Singular aims to join a team or
league, and the ranks of touring, competing bodybuilders striving to make a living in the sport. The Eden Prairie High School alum’s newfound ambition came shortly after graduation. Sanigular was a competitor then as well, running track and making it to the 2016 state meet but coming up short of a firstplace finish. “That made me mad, not gonna lie,” Sanigular said. After high school, he needed an outlet for that drive. With no clear answer, Sanigular fell out of statechampion-adjacent shape. This disgusted his competitive spirit, so he went to the gym. A lot. So much so that the staff at the West Broadway Anytime Fitness asked if he was interested in working there. Sanigular started and soon became a trainer and manager. Working out became his day job, which spurred his interest in his peak fitness. “You find out a lot about yourself,” he said. In that pursuit, Sanigular stumbled upon bodybuilding and, fascinated, hired a
coach. He fell for the sport. “What I like overall; there’s always room for improvement.” After a year or so of preparation, Sanigular headed out for his first competition in October 2018 and won. Needing a challenge for constant improvement, Sanigular set his sights on Mr. Minnesota. The competition has three judges scrutinize the leanness and symmetry of competitor poses. Each contestant is first screened privately in order to winnow away also-rans. Then bodybuilders are judged live in front of an audience. Sanigular sailed through his class and then secured the overall title. He might chase defending his Mr. Minnesota title next spring. For now, Sanigular is singularly focused on the National Physique Committee regional championship next June. Solomon Gustavo welcomes reader responses to sgustavo@ spokesman-recorder.com.
Robert Sanigular after winning the National Physique Committee 2019 state title Submitted photo
Twin Cities’ filmmaker works on Juneteenth doc lowing and seeing where it leads you … that helps you be able to tell your story,” said Jordan. It’s essential to bring forth credible information when it comes to creating films and documentaries about history. “One of the things I’ve learned in my 60 years of living is that I’m connected to a legacy that is amazing … the understanding of
“I felt that the documentary needed to be made. We’re talking history and in history, it is what it is,” said Jordan. “If you don’t see the ugliness then you won’t see the beauty” Jordan said he’s going to write and direct and will build a film crew in Virginia. It will be titled 1619, and detail the first day Africans touched colonial American soil, Aug. 25, 1619. “The premiere of the film will be part of Juneteenth celebrations in 2020. With that in
“I felt that the documentary needed to be made."
Lee Jordan By Ashley Lauren Contributing Writer “It stands for freedom and that’s the message I want people to understand. It’s a celebration of freedom,” said Twin Cities filmmaker Lee Jordan.
that gets me up and motivated on what I need to do. And that the stories are told correctly, to include all parties,” said the University of Minnesota alum. Jordan has made multiple films, including the documentary We Turned the Page, about a grandfather passing on his love of the public library to his grandchildren. Jordan, who started out as a casting agent, File photo runs his own casting agency, Jordan His cinematic mission has been to bring Extras Casting. His most recent ambition is to make a docforth insightful, thought-provoking and truthful information about Black history. Jor- umentary about the original Africans to ardan wants to shine a light on the monumen- rive in Virginia in 1619, and the day Afrital African Americans who helped create the can American slaves were made free, July 19, fabric of American history. “By finding your 1865, known as Juneteenth. Jordan began getting involved in a histoown thread in the American tapestry and folry project with the Virginia-based non-profit Project 1619. After hearing about their efforts he was immediately intrigued and motivated to start a historical project.
mind, I hope to have a national premiere that will show the film throughout the United States,” said Jordan of his plans for the documentary. Jordan is raising money for the project through a cell phone recycling fundraiser. Those interested can donate their phone by getting a shipping label from the website www.jordansphones.com. Jordan is also looking for volunteers. Those interested can contact him by email at firstname.lastname@example.org. Ashley Lauren welcomes reader responses to email@example.com.
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August 15–21, 2019
Rep. Ilhan Omar, celebrities, politicians motivate attendees at APRI’s conference
Rep. Ilhan Omar addresses conference atten
Photo by Jon Levine
Participants were given insight about place s where opioid abusers hide their drug paraphernalia.
Photo by Steve Floyd
aughs were on the menu at Heritage Tea House on Sunday evening as the family-owned hot spot featured the comedic stylings of Norma Williams (Williams is mother of MSR CEO and Publisher Tracy Williams-Dillard). The cozy spot often highlights community talent and served as the perfect setting for Williams’ downto-earth and good-natured humor.
The A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI), one of the nation’s largest organizations of African American labor union leaders and activists, held its 50th Annual National Education Conference in Bloomington last week. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) invigorated the conference crowd with her vow to continue the good fight despite multiple death threats and national criticism. She stressed that she has no intention of bowing down to the current administration. “If someone needs you down on a knee to make themselves feel tall, then there’s something wrong with them, not you,” Rep. Omar said. ”I got in this ring because I’m ready to fight!” Former Congressman and current Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also addressed the group, while hundreds of national and local labor union activists, celebs, political and civic engagement leaders took part in the conference, including actor Danny Glover. As part of APRI’s effort to engage the local community, the organization partnered with Peter Hayden’s Turning Point for an informative demonstration at the Minneapolis Urban League that detailed the dangers of teen opioid abuse. Participants were given insight into opioid abuse signs, symptoms and prevention methods to be mindful of as parents or guardians of young people. APRI National President Clayola Brown said the group is working to build awareness and community engagement to find solutions to social and racial injustices. ”As we know from the 2018 elections, APRI activists and our allies have been fundamental and essential to educating, organizing and moving political and legislative victories,” Brown said. “With increased education, measurable programs, strong community partnerships, and organizational development, we will recover, and we will advance,” Brown said.
Photos by Steve Floyd
Festival for Fathers and Families brings community together
Photos by Steve Floyd
Defying the cloudy skies and spurts of rain, Northside residents gathered Saturday afternoon at North Commons Park to celebrate the presence of fathers in the community. Sponsored by the Mpls. Parks & Rec. Board, MADDADS Mpls., NorthPoint Health & Wellness and a host of other community partners, the event offered families a day of children activities, including pony rides, grilled food and community vendors and resources.
Photos by Steve Floyd
WEEKEND TOP 5 | August 23-25 This week’s roundup offers fresh food, community spirit, a celebration of art and back to school resources. Here are the editors’ weekend picks.
West Broadway Farmers Market 3-7 pm @ Freedom Square, 2034 W. Broadway, Mpls. Free. Fresh food, goods, beats, and community, you’ll find all that and more at this Northside farmers market. The market is open until 7 pm, but the community stays alive later. Cash, credit, EBT, and Market Bucks accepted by most fresh food vendors. The event is sponsored by Appetite for Change. Info: bit.ly/WestBroadwayFM
30th Annual Urban League Family Day 11 am-8 pm @ Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Ave. N., Mpls. Free The Urban League will hold the 30th annual celebration along Plymouth Avenue between Logan & Penn. Bring the entire family and enjoy a full day of interactive games, activities, food and entertainment. Parade kicks off at 11 am; the festival is from noon to 8 pm. Info: mul.org
Summer Show or Sell; Youth Art PopUp Sale 1-4 pm @ Courageous heARTS, 2235 E. 38th St., Mpls. Free Artists are invited to show or sell their work at this one-time art pop-up,
a celebration of youth, art, and summer. To sweeten the deal, ice cream floats will be on sale, along with coloring books to help support Courageous heArts’ mission to illuminate youth as leaders while inspiring community creativity, courage, and collaboration. Info: www.courageous-hearts.org
Uptown Swingout: Free Talk by Dance History Legends 10 am-4 pm @ Children’s Theater Company, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Mpls. Free Two distinguished out-of-town dancers from the swing era, Sugar Sullivan and Barbara Billups (dancers at the Savoy Ballroom and the famed Harvest Moon Ball contest), will offer reflections about their lives and work. Info: www.uptownswingout.com/ workshops
Back to School Party in Cleveland Park & Movie 7-10 pm @ 3232 Russell Ave. N., Mpls. Free The Cleveland Neighborhood Association’s Youth Committee is hosting its 7th Annual Back to School Party in the Park event as a way to connect little neighbors and their families with one another and resources in the community. Info: bit.ly/BacktoSchoolCleveland
Want your event listed in the paper? Make sure to submit it at least 14 days in advance to give our print subscribers time to plan ahead. Find more events, or add your own, at msrnewsonline.com.
August 15–21, 2019
Trice Continued from page 1
organization designed to demonstrate that Blacks, Native Americans, other communities of color and low-income communities have power and put them in touch with strategies to exercise that power. As Trice says: “Who is more fit to address the issues that people are facing than the people who are facing them?” The Public Policy Project (PPP) bills itself as an independent provider of public policy consulting, leadership training, civic engagement, lobbying, strategic planning, and advocacy services. Trice, along with lead consultant Sam Grant, asthma outreach coordinator Shaundelle Darris, and North/Northeast green zone organizer Roxxanne O’Brien, in part, teach people to assert the power they already have to advocate for and represent themselves.
PPP has a contract with Minnesota Community Action Partnership to facilitate engagement around the proposed Upper Harbor Terminal Project to develop the 48-acre area along the Mississippi River between the Lowry Avenue and Camden bridges. Although the river flows past several Northside neighborhoods, access is currently limited both by I-94 and by the presence of manufacturers and factories on the river. PPP holds community meetings and learning tables for residents to learn about what developers are proposing in an effort to prevent displacement of current residents or further limiting river access for current residents. PPP also runs the monthly meetings of the Northern Green Zone Taskforce, which was formed as part of a 2017 resolution created by Minneapolis Councilmembers Phillipe Cunningham, Jeremiah Ellison, Kevin Reich, and Steve Fletcher. The task force seeks to implement an ambitious 12 goals around the creation of green jobs, better and more affordable housing, pollution mitigation, and improved livability on the Northside of Minneapolis. Lastly, and also in 2017, PPP created the Envi-
“Homelessness is an environmental issue.” “People have far more power than they realize,” says Trice, “the issue is then how to use that power, that’s what some people don’t understand. We don’t empower anybody. The Public Policy Project does not suggest that we empower anybody. We help communities realize their power and how to use their power.” In recent years feedback from Northside residents revealed a concern for environmental issues that went beyond the focus on pristine wilderness and rainforests commonly associated with mainstream environmental movements. Residents identified the impacts of shootings, over-policing, unemployment, underemployment, substandard housing, and food deserts, as well as manufacturers who are clustered in or near low-income communities who disproportionately bear the burdens of tainted air, soil and water.
ronmental Justice Partnership with the mission statement: “The EJCC visualizes, creates and implements ecological, economic, and strategic investments to end environmental racism.” With a McKnight-funded grant through Pillsbury United Communities, the EJCC seeks to develop an environmental justice assessment and action plan for North Minneapolis. The council is made up of Black residents and “agents of change” on the Northside. PPP is distinctive in the way it innovates and models new ways of community engagement by meeting people where they are and anticipating their needs. For example, with the Upper Harbor Terminal development, discussions about the project are held within the community, rather than downtown. “It’s welcoming,” says Trice. “It’s on the bus line with easy access. If you have a car, you don’t have to worry about parking. We feed people when meetings are held during dinner time and we’ve got food for your kids. We’re going to have ASL interpreters for deaf people. We accommodate them as much as possible. “We’re creating a model that’s never been done,” Trice says of the Upper Harbor Terminal learning events and meetings. “We’re sitting down and working with [developers] and they’re not making a move, they’re not putting a shovel in the ground until community residents have an input on what’s going to happen. Hopefully, this can be a model for cities around the country to begin to interact with communities that are going to be affected by development.”
Those pollutants still plague “Of course clean air, soil, and water are important,” says Trice, “but you have people who live in apartments where there is lead paint around their kids. They don’t want to complain to the Health Department about their landlord because they felt like if they complained the landlord is going to kick them out. Homelessness is an environmental issue.” As part of the 2017 settlement between the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Northern Metals, the metal recycling company agreed to pay $600,000 for community asthma and lead reduction work in the Hawthorne, Sheridan, Bottineau, and McKinley neighborhoods that were the areas Lucy Vilankulu welcomes reader responses to hardest hit by the poor air quality. PPP facilitates firstname.lastname@example.org. the Northern Metals Advisory Committee, which is tasked with making recommendations for the allocation of the $600,000, which will identify and support families suffering from asthma and elevated lead levels due to the air pollution.
Marci Dion Batsell
(Elizabeth Eileen Elliott)
December 24, 1959 - August 5, 2019
arci Dion Batsell (Elizabeth Eileen Elliott) went home to glory on August 5th 2019. Marci was born on December 24th, 1959, She was the fifth biological child of Jeanne Davis-Dixon, and adopted and raised by Edna Elliott. She attended North Community High School where she began to take interest in cosmology and writing. She also met her biological mother and siblings while attending North High. Growing up, Marci always exhibited a free-spirited nature. She had a heart of gold, always giving and loving with everything that she had. She was a mother, sister, daughter, grandmother and friend, and she will be greatly missed. Join us in the celebration of her life this Thursday August 15th. All are welcome. The theme is “Church hats and Shades.” If you knew my mother, you knew she loved church hats and she loved her shades! We are wearing blue or purple in honor of my mother because blue was her her favorite color. Purple is the color of royalty and also the color that represents pancreatic cancer.
BBS Continued from page 1
The memorial service will be held at Estes Funeral Chapel, located at 2201 Plymouth Ave in Minneapolis, starting promptly at 3 p.m. The repast will follow at 5pm. The address for the repast is 1904 Glenwood Ave in Minneapolis.
tal in how I see, hear and serve my clients. MSR: How are you able to feel empathy for your clients without taking on their issues?
NS: One thing for sure is, as a psychologist, you have to know your limitations. There are some questions I have been asked that I simply don’t know the answers to and that University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where is OK. My job is to listen and help people he received his undergraduate degree in find the answers that already lie within. Bepsychology. ing aware of limitations and my moral comStewart later received his master’s depass has helped serve my clients in a propgree from the University of Minnesota’s er way. Counseling Student Personnel Psychology Program. Since then, he has owned his priMSR: Why do you think that people come vate practice Psychology & Rehabilitation to see a psychologist? Services in St. Paul. He has worked in the areas of worker’s compensation, rehabilNS: Most times people feel stuck or deitation, and real estate therapy. In his earpressed. They often times just want to talk ly years as a working psychologist, Stewtheir feelings out. They find themselves in art was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; a certain situation or emotional state that a disease that has had a profound impact they can’t seem to get out of. Often times on his career. they have tried many options to get out The MSR spoke with Nathaniel Stewart of those situations and they are still stuck. (NS) about his life’s work and mission to When they have run out of options they help people. come to see me. MSR: Why did you become a psychologist? NS: My dad was a minister and I loved how his work helped people. I always wanted to do the same thing but in a different forum and that is why I chose psychology.
MSR: Black men experience higher rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). How would you appeal to them to come speak with a psychologist?
NS: Right now is a scary time for African American men in America and so many MSR: How did you find out about the maspeople are angry. My appeal would be for ter’s program at the University of Minnesothem to talk out that anger and frustrations ta? with someone.
HiSTory Continued from page 1
said. “So, naturally, there were things that came up; mass incarceration, the war on drugs, redlining, business development, you know, all those sort of things. Those are things that the community said are important to them.” A common theme was that the Black community has been slowly pushed out over the years. Belinda B, a resident who has lived on the Northside for more than 50 years said, “Plymouth Avenue is not Plymouth Avenue anymore.” She pointed out how the Urban league used to be a Black-owned bank and Plymouth Avenue used to have lots of Black-owned businesses and community centers. She blames crime and natural disasters for a lot of the reasons why the community has been gentrified. Janet B said that there has been a shift in the sense of community — in the ’70s, the Black community felt like a small town. “There were a lot of Black homeownership, for years,” she said. “People moved out because they couldn’t keep up their house, the housing crisis had a huge impact … The community has been rehabbed by White people.” Not all community mem-
NS: My brother-in-law worked at the University and he told me about a program the University had started to recruit Blacks that were interested in psychology. I applied and got into the program. I have been in Minnesota since.
The Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery All photos courtesy of Facebook bers had a negative outlook. Some gave ideas on how things can change for the better. “There needs to be more Black radio and TV programs on North Minneapolis,” shared longtime community member Abdul-Karim Bilal. “We need more resources to help people,” Demetra P. said, “There is nothing to do after school.” Adedayo, who works in the Northside, also had a positive outlook on the community and how things can keep improving. “I think there is value in continuing to host community events and bring the community together. Adedayo said, “It also creates a safe place when that happens. When things continue to happen like festivals, pop-ups, family barbecues and all those things.” The exhibit runs at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery
through October 1st. There will be a second exhibit in the fall for another opportunity to learn about the Northside directly from the mouths of those who live and have lived there. The “Northside Oral History Project” exhibit is on display through Oct. 1 at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, located at 1256 Penn Ave. N. in Minneapolis. The museum is open 1 to 5 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 1 to 7 pm Thursdays, and 9 am to noon Saturdays. Sam Jones welcomes reader responses to email@example.com.
MSR: You have had your own practice since you started working professionally, why is that?
MSR: What advice would you give someone who is interested in becoming a psychologist? NS: I would ask someone how well do they know and understand themselves? Knowing yourself is essential as a psychologist because you have to be aware of your moral compass. You must have boundaries and limitations.
NS: It is important for me to not deal with MSR: What is some general advice you politics or bureaucracies when dealing with would give to someone on how to navigate people. The politics of putting a monetary life? value on a human being before seeing a person is something I cannot do. NS: Set the stage for your life. It is important to engage in understanding what MSR: What is your practice mission? makes you happy. It is also good to search for what will make you happy. These steps NS: The primary objective of Psychology are very important because most people and Rehabilitation Services is to maximize don’t even know what makes them happy. mental improvement. We translate research Lastly, I would say find someone to do life into the practical application of human with. growth potential. Our overall approach maximizes every opportunity to improve Nathaniel Stewart, Jr. Psychology and Rethe overall quality of life for each client and habilitation is located at 1535 Laurel Ave. in St. to achieve measurable outcomes that are Paul. For more info or to make an appointment, identified in the early phases of treatment. call 651-645-0645. MSR: How have you been able to help people through your own sickness? NS: When you get hurt or sick you become very angry. Often times you don’t know how to control that anger. You initially start to blame everyone or everything for your anger. Eventually, I learned to accept my disability, that acceptance inevitably got rid of my anger and through that processI started to understand and feel a great deal of empathy. Empathy has been instrumen-
Julia Johnson welcomes reader responses to msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder. com. Submitted photo
August 15–21, 2019
Legals STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF HENNEPIN In the Estate of ROBERT HUGH ROWLES, Decedent
FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT DISTRICT COURT PROBATE DIVISION Court File No. 27-PA-PR-19-960 NOTICE AND ORDER OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
It is Ordered and Notice is given that on Sept 23, 2019, at 10:30 AM, a hearing will be held in theis Court at Hennepin Co. Govt. Center, 300 South 6th Street, Floor C4, Minneapolis, MN 55487, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the Will of the Decendent dated June 29, 2005, (“Will”), and for the appointment of Fiduciary Foundation LLC, whose address is 1845 Stinson Boulevard, Suite 106, Minneapolis, MN 55418 as Personal Respreasentative of the Estate of the Decendent in an UNSUPERVISED adminstration. Any objections to the petition must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper and if no objections are filed or raised, the Personal Representative will be appointed with full power to administer the Estate including the power to collect all assets, to pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, to sell real and personal property, and to do all necessary acts for the Estate. Notice is further given that (subject to Minn. Stat.524.3-801) all creditors having claims against the Estate are required to present the claims to the Personal Representative or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this Notice or the claims will be barred. Dated: August 9, 2019
BY THE COURT Philip C Carruthers, Judge of District Court Probate Division
Dated: August 9, 2019
Sarah Lindahl-Pfieffer, Court Administrator
STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF HENNEPIN In the Estate of JEAN M. KAPSNER AKA JEAN MARIE KAPSNER, Decedent
Notice is given that an Application for Informal Probate of the Decedent’s Will dated March 19, 2018 and codicil(s) to the will, and separate writing(s) under Minnesota Statutes section 524.2-513 (“Will”), has been filed with the Registrar. The application has been granted. Notice is also given that the Registrar has informally appointed Jason P. Kapsner, whose address is 75 Leaf Street, Long Lake, MN 55356 as personal representative of the Estate of the Decedent. Any heir, devisee or other interested person may be entitled to appointment as personal representative or may object to the appointment of the personal representative. Unless objections are filed with the Court (pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 524.3-607) and the Court otherwise orders, the personal representative has the full power to administer the estate, including, after 30 days from the issuance of letters, the power to sell, encumber, lease, 0r distribute any interest in real estate. Any objections to the probate of the Will or appointment of the Personal Representative must be filed with this Court and will be heard by the Court after the filing of an appropriate petition and proper notice of hearing. Notice is further given that (subject to Minn. Stat.524.3-801) all creditors having claims against the Estate are required to present the claims to the personal representative or to the Court within four months after the date of this Notice or the claims will be barred. A charitable beneficiary may request notice of the probate proceedings be given to the Attorney General pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 501B.41, subdivision 5. Alonna J. Warns, Registrar Sarah Lindahl-Pfieffer, Court Administrator
Jason Kapsner 75 Leaf St, Orono, MN 55356 firstname.lastname@example.org Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, August 15 & 22, 2019
Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, August 15 & 22, 2019
Fitz Continued from page 10 All Cubs home games were day games. You see Wrigley Field had no lights, so when grade school was over, the Cubs were always on TV — I was hooked!
There were really four good Hall of Fame players: Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and Fergie Jenkins. Don Kissinger was a good shortstop. Our manager was Leo Durocher who once had managed Jackie Robinson.
I was so impressionable growing up in the turbulent ‘60s. Angered by the shooting deaths of our President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, my pain and misunderstanding during that time were so deep I just could not understand what was going on. I started dreaming about
being an athlete. So when the Mets got hot that summer in August with Tom Seaver and Tommie Agee and blew by the Cubs to win the National League and later the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles, I was crushed and never forgave the Cubs for breaking my heart. I have been a
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White Sox fan ever since. In 1978, when I arrived in Minnesota to begin my journey as a journalist, the Boston Red Sox led the New York Yankees by 14 games in August. The Yankees caught the Red Sox and won a onegame playoff and later beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for the World Series in six
games. Cleveland has won the AL Central three years in a row; since June 4 they are 42-17 — that’s the best record in baseball. Injuries, everybody has them, and poor pitching has hurt the Twins. Byron Buxton, their talented center fielder, is on the injury list again for the third time. Slugger Nelson Cruz just went on the injured list for the second time. He has 32
home runs to lead the team, including a Major Leaguebest 16 since the All-Star break. The Twins failed to add a starting pitcher before the trade deadline. But Cleveland really helped themselves by adding several players, including talented slugger outfielder Yasiel Puig. Cleveland is second in the AL in pitching at 3.64 ERA, while the Twins are fifth at 4.16 ERA. Defensively, the Indians have committed 20 fewer errors than the Twins. The Twins have hit 228 home runs, Cleveland 155. The Twins are scoring a lot more runs, 645 to Cleveland’s 515. The Twins are 71-47 and so are the Indians. But with 44 games left a lot can still happen and there is a lot of baseball to be played. However, if the Twins don’t win the division it would be comparable in my view to the 1969 Cubs, and 1978 Boston Red Sox. Those are the greatest collapses in MLB history. Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to firstname.lastname@example.org or visit LarryFitzgerald.com
which according to HuffPost represents “a 180 percent increase in the amount of money flowing into the league’s coffers.”
ed whatever the W offered or risked losing the league, getting a new pact could be contentious. Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi, a member of the W’s first generation of players, has expressed some reservations, however. “If the numbers don’t add up, it’s hot air,” she stressed. “If you don’t know what the numbers [are], you
“This generation isn’t just happy…that there’s finally a U.S. pro women’s hoops league. They want more. They deserve more.” “One of my priorities is to tackle this issue of the economics of the league, the financials of the league and the owners, and be ready to tackle that in a very multidimensional way,” Engelbert told reporters during All-Star weekend. “Not just through CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement] negotiations, but through corporate sponsorships, through other models.” Travel hassles and salaries are just a sample of issues both Engelbert’s league and its players must work out in the fourth CBA that must be in place at the start of the 2020 season. Unlike the previous three agreements (1999, 2003 and 2008) where the players basically accept-
don’t know what to fight for. That’s very frustrating. We don’t have clear numbers of what is going on,” she said. “We just signed a huge [television] deal… How does that help us as players?” Taurasi asked. “How does that help the bottom line for us? I just don’t see it making a difference in our paychecks.” Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@ spokesman-recorder.com.
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August 15–21, 2019
Twins, Indians suddenly tied 71-47!
wo months ago, the Twins led the Division by 12½ games in the American League Central (AL). They are the most prolific home run hitting team in baseball history. They have hit 228 home runs after 118 games and are on pace to hit 315. No team in 100 years of baseball has ever hit that many. All the clichés you can muster doesn’t explain what they have been through. As the saying goes, “It’s not how you start it’s how you finish.” That is the bottom line.
I was sharing some painful memories of pennant race collapses of my youth on-air recently. Oh, do they leave scars! The 1969 Chicago Cubs, when I was a young kid growing up in Chicago, is one such memory. Hurt me so bad I never recovered. I was a Cubs fan then in Chicago; we had two teams the White Sox and Cubs. The Cubs led the New York Mets by 12 games in August. They had Jack Brickhouse, Harry Carey, and Lew Burdette as broadcasters and all the games were on WGN. These guys were homers who could really tell stories.
WNBA and players negotiating new pact Points of contention are about as old as the league itself
VIEW Charles hallman
Photos by Charles Hallman
ITY DAY DIVERSITY DAY DIVERSITY DAY DIVERSITY DAY DIVERSITY DAY DIVERSITY DAY
■ See Fitz on page 9 WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has a lot on her desk since taking over the league last month. It isn’t like she inherited a mess left behind, but rather variations of the same old mess the league has been dealing with for much of its existence. Unlike any previous time in its history, the players are becoming more vocal, more demanding. This generation isn’t just happy and satisfied that there’s finally a U.S. pro women’s hoops league. They want more. They deserve more. The question is how much more the W will give them to reach both parties’ satisfaction. Besides salaries, travel to road games has become a more public issue of late. Las
Vegas forfeited a game last year after spending over a day trying to get to the game. Right after All-Star break, Chicago spent 12 hours in an airport, three hours on a plane, and 90 minutes trying to retrieve their checked luggage after arriving after 3 am.
er hand, fly on charters. Delta signed a contract to carry 27 of 30 teams on planes retrofitted for the players’ height. Many college teams also fly on charter planes. Several NHL and NFL clubs fly on charters as well. League officials claim that
“One of my priorities is to tackle this issue of the economics of the league.” All 12 WNBA teams must fly commercial to games as the league prohibits them from using charter flights. Most NBA teams, on the oth-
it’s too costly to fly women hoopsters on non-commercial flights and their argument is sound: Costs vary from $7,000 to $15,000 per
hour depending on the size of the plane. Still, something must be done to improve the players’ travel. I suggest that the W somehow piggyback on the NBADelta deal — after all, that league isn’t playing in the summertime during the WNBA season. When American Airlines dropped carrying six NFL clubs in 2017, the NBA stepped in and allowed their contracted planes to be used by NFL teams if needed. Another suggestion: The NBA with their bountiful array of sponsors could help their sisters out in this matter. The men’s league in 2017 signed a $24 billion, nineyear television pact with Turner Sports and ESPN, ■ See View on page 9
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INSIDE: North Mpls residents share oral history of past 50 years; project fights environmental racism through empowerment; the MSR looks bac...
Published on Aug 14, 2019
INSIDE: North Mpls residents share oral history of past 50 years; project fights environmental racism through empowerment; the MSR looks bac...