12PAGE

Look foranother seriesof Kobe’s championshipNike puppet commercials

Book review:“The Other WesMoore: One Name,Two Fates”

5PAGE

AmhearstWilderNeighborhoodleadership programgraduates 32

AdmissionPossibleseniors set the pace inscholarships

4PAGE

PAGE 7

MMaayy 33 - MMaayy 99,, 22001100 •• MMNN MMeettrroo VVooll.. 3366 NNoo.. 1188 •• TThhee JJoouurrnnaall FFoorr CCoommmmuunniittyy NNeewwss,, BBuussiinneessss && TThhee AArrttss •• wwwwww..iinnssiigghhttnneewwss..ccoomm

Light rail transit may spur Northside recovery

MPS will invest inNorth MinneapolisSchool Board chooses 1250 West Broadwayfor brand new district headquarters facility

Organizing Apprenticeship Project says:

Q&A legislative sessionwas best and worst

DFL endorses Anderson-Keliher

Hennepin County is currentlyin the analysis stage ofplanning a light rail line alongthe Bottineau Corridor. Thecounty must determine whatroute makes sense by takinginto account factors such aspotential ridership, economicaccess, and the impact it willhave on housing and parking.Transit officials are taking onthis project in order to integratea comprehensive transportationplan for the Twin Cities,decrease car miles traveled, and

increase access to historicallydisadvantaged communities.

The Bottineau Corridorextends between downtownMinneapolis and NorthMinneapolis through theNorthwest Suburbs of the TwinCities. These include GoldenValley, Crystal, Robbinsdale,New Hope, Osseo, BrooklynPark and Maple Grove. Inaddition, the travelshed for thiscorridor will eventually extendthrough the rapidly growingcommunities of Dayton,Rogers, and Hassan Township.

State Rep. Bobby JoeChampion (DFL-58B) is

heading a Bottineau ResidentsDiscussion Group to identifyissues and solutions for thefuture development of theBottineau Transitway. Heapplauds the engineers andtransit experts at HennepinCountry who have done a lot ofgreat work so far but wants thecommunity to review what theyhave done and voice itsopinion. “You don’t have toknow everything about transit[to make this contribution toyour community]. There aretechnical people to support ourdiscussion,” Champion said.

One concerned citizen at the

Bottineau Residents DiscussionGroup pointed out that much ofthe decision-making power isin the hands of the corporationsand institutions rather than theresidents that this project willaffect. Champion agrees,saying that “the power is in thebeginning of the process. Weall have questions and we wantto be able to give ourrecommendation [back toHennepin County].” He says itis also the responsibility of thecommunity to build a plan forthe economic developmentalong the Bottineau Corridor.

There were originally 21

possible routes but transitengineers at Hennepin Countyhave narrowed it down tobasically two main alternatives.Both will begin in Robbinsdaleand run south along theBurlington Northern Santa Ferail line.

Their first alternative wouldthen turn east on 36th AvenueNorth to stop at NorthMemorial Medical Center; headsoutheast on Broadway AvenueWest to stop at Penn AvenueNorth; turn south on Penn andstop at Plymouth Avenue

The Minneapolis Board ofEducation last Tuesday voted tomove forward with a proposal torelocate the school district offices toa new facility it will build at 1250West Broadway in NorthMinneapolis.

The decision was hailed as asignificant victory for supporters ofpublic education and educationreform advocates who maintain thatthe business of education is anintegral part of the mission ofeducation.

“By developing a newheadquarters facility in NorthMinneapolis, and by awarding thenearly $30 million contract to a firmthat has excelled in creatingeconomic inclusion and parity bysetting and exceeding sub-contractorand workforce wmbe/dbe goals, theBoard is signaling that it will alignhow it does business with theinterests of its customers, themajority of whom are children ofcolor and their families,” said theRev. Randolph Staten, co-chair of theCoalition of Black Churches/AfricanAmerican Leadership Summit(CBC/AALS).

Part one in a series from“Conversations with AlMcFarlane” Public PolicyBroadcasts on KFAI-90.3FM (inMinneapolis) and 106.7FM (in St.Paul) and online at kfai.org

Jermaine Toney, of the OrganizingApprenticeship Project, joinedprogram host Al McFarlane todiscuss the organization’sLegislative Report Card. Toney,the lead researcher with OAP,

Margaret Anderson-Keliherthanked DFL supporters Mondayfor selecting her to become theparty’s standard bearer in thisfall’s Minnesota Governor race.She won the party’s endorsementSaturday in the party’s stateendorsing convention in Duluth. Anderson-Keliher still facesopposition from at least twostrong DFL candidates who saythey will seek nomination byDFL voters in the August PrimaryElection.

Former Senator Mark Daytonhad previously announced hewould take his case directly toDFL voters by placing his nameon the ballot in the PrimaryElection. Former DFL HouseLeader Matt Entenza used theconvention to announce he wouldnot seek endorsement by the

convention, but, like Dayton,would seek to become the partynominee for governor bycompeting against other DFLersin the August Primary.

“It’s been a whirlwind sincewe clinched the DFLendorsement late on Saturdaynight, and I want you to knowthat we won because of yourstrong support of this campaign,”Anderson-Keliher said in afundraising letter to DFLers.

“We built the bestorganization and the strongestconvention team and we simplycould not have done it withoutyou and the thousands of greatMinnesotans supporting us.There’s no two ways about it,”she said.

“Today, I’m writing from mystatewide DFL Unity Tour with

Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Tim Walz,Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep.Keith Ellison, Secretary of StateMark Ritchie, State AuditorRebecca Otto, Mayor R.T.

By Lydia Schwartz

By Al McFarlane &B.P. Ford, The Editors

File PhotoMargaret Anderson-Keliher

11MPS TURN TO 7DFL TURN TO

2OAP TURN TO

3RAIL TURN TO

Photo by Elliot Stewart-FranzenThe Bottineau Corridor extends between Downtown Minneapolis and North Minneapolis through the Northwest Suburbs of the Twin Cities

Courtesy of OAPJermaine Toney

Suluki Fardan and studiotobechi (Bill English photo)Chris Stewart, T. Williams, Bill English and Rev. Randolph Staten.

Page 2 • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Insight News insightnews.com

Clay receives Spirit of Democracy award

Regional transit system ranks high in efficiency

Washington, DC -Chairman ofthe House Subcommittee onInformation Policy, Census, andNational Archives, US Rep.William Lacy Clay (D-MO), isamong the National Coalition onBlack Civic Participation’s 2010Spirit of Democracy Awardrecipients, Melanie L. Campbell,executive director and CEO ofThe National Coalition,announced recently. The awardswill be presented during TheNational Coalition’s 13thAnnual Spirit of DemocracyAwards Gala on Wednesday,May 19.

Other 2010 Spirit Honoreesinclude: Ralph Everett,president and CEO, Joint Center

for Political and EconomicStudies; Tony Gladney, vicepresident, National DiversityRelations, Harrah’sEntertainment, Inc.; MarcMorial, president and CEO,National Urban League; andMakani Themba-Nixon,executive director, The PraxisProject.

“All of our 2010 honoreeswork in their own way to makechange happen,” said Campbell.“This year’s theme is ‘The Yearto Make Change Happen,’ so weselected people who have takenthe lead to make change happenin poor and underservedcommunities across thecountry.”

The Spirit of DemocracyAwards are presented toindividuals and organizationswho have demonstrated aconsistent commitment tocreating balance in thedemocratic process and supportthe NCBCP’s mission and visionof making civic participation acultural responsibility andtradition. Sponsors includeAmgen, AT&T, Verizon, AFL-CIO, and AFT, among others.

Founded in 1976, TheNational Coalition is anonprofit, nonpartisanorganization dedicated toincreasing African Americanparticipation in civil society.The current programs and

initiatives of the organizationinclude Black Youth Vote!,Black Women’s Roundtable, andthe Unity Diaspora Coalition’s2010 census and mid-termelection campaigns. TheNational Coalition has trainedand engaged African Americanleaders and community activistsin overcoming institutionalbarriers that have hindered thegrowth of Black communitiespolitically, socially andeconomically.

The event is open to thepublic. Individual ticket pricesare $175. For tickets or moreinformation call (202) 659-4929or visit www.ncbcp.org.

Over the last seven years, theMetropolitan Council has hadconsiderable success in expandingour regional transit system andgrowing ridership.

We’ve opened our first light railline in the Hiawatha corridor andbegun work on our second in theCentral corridor. We’ve startedservice on our first commuter rail linein the Northstar corridor. And we’vecompleted the first phase of bus rapid

transit improvements in the I-35Wand Cedar Avenue corridors.

However, we’ve also workedvery hard to ensure that our system isas efficient and cost-effective aspossible.

Our transit system comparesvery well with peer systems aroundthe country, as shown by a new reportcompiled by our transportation staff.The performance evaluation report,required by state law, compares ourtransit system with 11 others –including Baltimore, Dallas, Denver,Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle and St.Louis.

Here are a few key findings:The ridership of our system grew

by 17 percent during the period 2005to 2008, compared with 8.5 percentfor our 11 peers.

Our system’s operating costs –adjusted for inflation – increased by7.4 percent during this period,compared with 12.1 percent for ourpeers.

Our farebox recovery rate – thepercentage of operating costs coveredby fares – ranked third highest in2008 among the 12 systemsexamined.

Our subsidy per passenger in

2008 averaged $2.61, compared with$3.24 for our peers.

In other words, our ridership isgrowing faster, our service is moreefficient and it requires a lowersubsidy per passenger than most ofour peers.

One place where we lag a little isin the amount of transit service weoffer. Our system provides 19.9 milesof transit service per capita, putting usin sixth place among the 12 regionsstudied and just below the peeraverage (20.7).

However, we hope to improve inis this area as we continue to expand

our bus system, and develop ournetwork of rail and bus transitways.

On May 26, the Council will beacting on a recommendation fromHennepin County that we moveforward with our third light rail line inthe Southwest Corridor betweendowntown Minneapolis and EdenPrairie. The 14-mile line wouldconnect with our other rail lines at theinter-modal station near Target Field.

When this rail line is completed,we will have nearly 130 miles oftransitways providing fast, hassle-free service in some of our mostheavily traveled corridors.

Overall, the new report is atribute to the outstandingperformance of our staff at MetroTransit, Metro Mobility and ourentire transportation servicesdivision.

(Peter Bell is chair of theMetropolitan Council, a 17-memberbody that oversees regional planning,transit, wastewater services, andregional parks and trails.)

File PhotoCongressman Clay (D-MO)

By Peter Bell

is a graduate of Patrick Henry HighSchool, received his B.A. fromUniversity of St. Thomas in St.Paul and received his M.S. fromNew School for Social Research inNYC. Al McFarlane: What is theOrganizing ApprenticeshipProject?Jermaine Toney: We work toreduce racial and economic andcultural inequities by training andbuilding community leaders. Wealso do it by strategic convening:bringing people together toadvance justice work. We also do itthrough policy research tools likethe Minnesota Legislative Report

Card on Racial Equity.

Al McFarlane: What are your keyfindings in the report this year?Jermaine Toney: Race mattersand leadership for racial equitymatters. Communities of color andlow-income communities havebeen disproportionately hit duringthis recession.

The two big indicators of thatare job loss and unequal treatmentin foreclosure crisis.Since 2007, communities of colorand low-income communitiesacross the state have lost jobs at afaster rate. We also see that theunequal treatment in mortgagelanding led to some pretty nastyforeclosures that really hit hard incommunities of color.

Given that backdrop we alsoknow that our future prosperityrequires that we pay special

attention to Minnesota’s racial andeconomic inequities. Studiescoming out right now show that ifwe fail to address them we willundermine our future prosperityand future growth.

Al McFarlane: What are themajor categories and findings inthis report?Jermaine Toney: It’s a multi-issue,multi-racial assessment of the statelegislature and Governor and theircommitment to public policies andbudget decisions that allow us tomove forward. The reportaddresses racial disparity ineducation, in wealth building andeconomics, in health care, incriminal justice and civil rights.There is a section on AmericanIndian issues.

We found that it was the best ofsessions and the worst of sessions.

Criminal justice policyconsiderations led it to being theone of the best of sessions. Onepiece of legislation that theLegislature passed and theGovernor signed looked at the highrate of juvenile incarceration.Minnesota ranks eighth worst inthe nation in terms of putting ourkids in juvenile custody. But youthof color get placed in custody farmore often even though the crimesthey commit may be the same aswhite youth. So one billactually directs the state to look atthis, discover what’s leading tothese inequities and then makesome recommendations to turn thesituation around. This is huge interms of addressing a racialdisparity. It is a marker of progresstowards racial equity.

Last session, Minnesota led thenation in putting forward

progressive legislation called Banthe Box. If you are seekingemployment at a governmentagency and you have aprison/arrest record, you don’thave to disclose that in the jobapplication. You have done yourtime and you want to get a job. Youwon’t be automatically excludedfrom the opportunity to interviewfor a job because you had to checkthe box that asked if you hadarrests or imprisonment. This givesthe job seeker the chance toadvance to the interview before heor she has to disclose the criminalrecord. At least you have theopportunity to speak for yourselfinstead of being automaticallydisqualified because of yourrecord.

Al McFarlane: According to thereport, “one third of Minnesotans

of color who are released fromprison have a vision of findinggainful employment. However, itis well publicized that the record ofthe formerly incarcerated has beena major barrier to employment.While there has been movement atlocal levels of Minneapolis andSaint Paul, House File 1301 “bansthe box” by removing questionsabout criminal records from allpublic employment applicationsuntil the person has received aninterview.”Jermaine Toney: Other states arelooking to replicate this. ButMinnesota is the first state in thecountry to ban the box.

Al McFarlane: You gradeMinnesota’s Legislature in the areaof Health Equity. What do you

OAPFrom 1

8OAP TURN TO

insightnews.com Insight News • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Page 3

North; turn east on OlsonHighway and stop at Van WhiteBoulevard; then connect withthe light rail line downtownMinneapolis.

There are a few sub-

alternatives along Penn if thisroute is chosen. The rail couldeither be placed on the east sideof Penn with one-way traffic onboth Penn and Oliver Avenuesin the center of Penn so therestill would be two-way traffic,or have the rail on Oliver.

The second main alternativewould mainly follow Olson;

stopping at Golden ValleyRoad, Penn, and Van White;then head downtown. Thisroute has a higher potentialridership from suburbancommuters but bypasses NorthMinneapolis.

There is also in the makinga high speed train line thatwould make about a three and ahalf hour trip betweenMinneapolis and Chicago, IL.

Hennepin County mustcompete for federal fundingwith other rail projects acrossthe country. The FederalTransit Administration (FTA)takes into account severalfactors when deciding where toallocate tax-payer funding.Ratings are based on manycriteria such as costeffectiveness, the economicdevelopment effects of such aproject, environmentalbenefits, and whether the localgovernment can match thefunding that the FTA provides.Hennepin County is planningon obtaining local fundsthrough the sales tax. Withoutfederal funding, or if there aretoo many delays, the BottineauTransitway project will nothappen.

By 2012, Hennepin Countyhopes to be moving into thenext stage of developmentwhere a detailed environmentalstudy must be conducted inaccordance with the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act(NEPA) before preliminarydesign and engineering canbegin. The study will look atfactors such as pollutionprevention and energyefficiency, habitat and wetlandimpacts, and the effects onminority and low-incomecommunities.

The Southwest Transitwayis currently undergoing theNEPA study. This proposedlight rail line will serveMinneapolis, St. Louis Park,Eden Prairie, Minnetonka,Edina, and Hopkins.

Preliminary design planswill include detailed costestimates, property impacts,zoning changes, and stationarea plans.

The Central Corridor LightRail, which will travel between

downtown Minneapolis and St.Paul along University andWashington Aves, is enteringthe final design stage beforeconstruction begins. Championcited the ‘Stops for UsCampaign’ composed ofcommunity members along thecentral section of the line. Thecentral section goes throughlow-income areas and its stopswere one-mile apart. The stopseverywhere else along the linewere less than a half of a mile.“[It was community outcry thatwas] able to influence the final

decision to add three morestops,” Champion said.

Professional EngineerJoseph Gladke, Manager ofEngineering and TransitPlanning at Hennepin CountyHousing, Community Worksand Transit, also says that“there are no final decisions[regarding the BottineauTransitway].”

Hennepin County hopes tomove the Bottineau Transitwayinto the final design stage in2014. This is when HennepinCounty will begin property

acquisition and relocationassistance, begin infrastructureinvestments, and will plan theconstruction phases.

By 2016, Hennepin Countyhopes to begin the constructionof the Bottineau Transitway. Itwill work to maintain businessand residential access andhopes the line will becompleted in 2019.

For information onattending a Residents GroupTransportation Meeting, emailJoan@MetroStability.org.

BUSINESSWork life boundaries: Nothing is personal

US Census takers start visiting households

During busy season, Karen’scompany keeps cots in a closetso employees can catch a napwhile working all night onprojects. Lea’s best friends arethe people she works with. Shedoesn’t have time to forge

friendships anywhere else.Spending forty or fifty hours aweek with a group of people formonths or years at a time, itseems natural that you wouldbecome friends, or even likefamily, after a while. But whenis “close” too close? Where isthe line between personal andprofessional, when you workalongside the same people dayin and day out?

Religion and politics havelong been taboo in theworkplace. Yet, these topics aredifficult to steer clear ofbecause they often play a part inthe news and TV shows wewant to discuss, and becausepassion for a topic can override

good judgement. Use your ownexpectations to test whether tostep into or walk away from aconversation. Inviting your co-workers to a concert at yourchurch might be acceptable;expecting them to meditate withyou in the break room is not.When others cross that line,have a comment ready to use toexcuse yourself. It can besimple, “I’d better get back towork.” Say it politely, and thenreinforce that boundary bywalking away.

Childcare issues are anotherdelicate area. I have seen manymanagers make project andpromotion decisions based ontheir perception of what

someone can handle, whetherthat perception is accurate orway off. When you are at work,everything is fine with thefamily. Remember that. Anduse your break or lunch hour todeal with family issues. If youare a single parent, find two orthree back-up options forchildcare so you can get towork when you need to.

If someone else in the officeis giving too much informationabout their children or spouse,cut them off politely but with asimple statement such as, “Youmust be so proud of your littleguy, but I’d better get back tomy work.” The physical act ofturning away will usually end

the conversation. It may seemrude; however, turning awayoften produces the surprisingresult of deference. Whenpeople know where your line is,they tend to respect it.

Disabilities, unrelatedhobbies and salary issues arealso off-limits, as is officegossip about employees notpresent. Assume that anythingyou say out loud in yourworkplace will be broadcast onspeakers throughout thebuilding because, often, that’smore or less what happens. Askyourself, first, whether thisconversation has anything to dowith work and, second, is it aconversation you would gladly

share with everyone? If theanswer to either question is no,walk away.

You want to be known atwork for your professionalaccomplishments. Keepingyour personal life, well,personal, will help you avoidthe misunderstandings andmisconceptions that can sendyour day and your careercareening off track.

Julie Desmond leads 21stCentury Job Search workshopsfor Help Wanted! Workshop inMinneapolis. Send your careerplanning and job searchquestions tojulie@insightnews.com.

The U.S. Census Bureau began“Non-Responsive Follow-Up”Operations on May 1st with the28% of households in the U.S.who did not return theirquestionnaire by mail. Censustakers will visit a householdseveral times in an effort to getthe basic information on the tenquestions on the 2010 Census.

When a census taker visits ahome, he or she will try tocollect the information byinterviewing an adult member

of the household. If a censustaker cannot contact ahousehold after repeatedattempts, they will seekinformation in any way possibleto estimate the number ofpeople living in the home.

Dennis R. Johnson, RegionalDirector of the U.S. CensusBureau, stated, “I encourage thepublic to cooperate with censustakers when they are working inyour neighborhood. The 2010Census is not yet completed and

this work is vital to our effortsto get a complete and accuratecount of everyone living in yourcommunity.”

These follow-up operationswill be conducted by officialcensus takers. An officialcensus taker must present an IDBadge with a Department ofCommerce seal and expirationdate; may be carrying a bag witha U.S. Census Bureau logo; willprovide you with theirsupervisor’s phone number

and/or the local census officephone number for verification.

The 2010 Census is a hugeundertaking that also providestemporary employmentopportunities for local residentsinterested in working on thecensus. Census jobs offer goodpay, flexible hours and paidtraining while performing animportant public service. Bestof all, those hired may work intheir own community.

Census jobs are perfect

summer jobs for teachers,students (over 18-years-old),retirees, and just about anyoneinterested in earning some extramoney. Interested applicantsmust be U.S. citizens, 18 yearsor older, have a valid SocialSecurity Card, and be availableto work 20 to 40 hours a week.Applicants must take a basicskills test and pass a backgroundcheck. Interested personsshould call 1-866-861-2010 tofind out how and where to apply

for a job working on the 2010Census.

The 2010 Census is an actualcount of everyone living in theUnited States and it is mandatedby the U.S. Constitution.Census data is used to allocatecongressional seats to the statesand to distribute more than $400billion in federal funds to tribal,state and local governmentseach year.

Understanding Medicare a complicated process

Most people are somewhat familiarwith Medicare, since it’s likely theyor a family member are alreadycovered by the government-provided health insurance program.But with its alphabet soup ofoptions and complex rules,Medicare can be daunting to theuninitiated.

If you’re approaching 65, hereare some Medicare basics you’llneed to know:

Medicare provides benefits topeople age 65 and older and thoseunder 65 with certain disabilities orend-stage renal disease. Mostpeople’s initial enrollment period is

the seven months beginning threemonths before the month they turn65. If you miss that window, youmay enroll between January 1 andMarch 31 each year, with coveragebeginning July 1.

Medicare offers numerousplans and coverage options,including:

Part A helps cover in-patienthospital, nursing facility andhospice services, and home healthcare. Most people pay no monthlypremium and are automaticallyenrolled upon turning 65, or afterreceiving Social Security disabilitybenefits for 24 months.

Part B helps cover doctor’sservices, outpatient care and somepreventive services. It’s optional

and has a monthly premium. Mostpeople are automatically enrolled atthe same time as Part A. To opt out,follow the instructions thataccompanied your Medicare card(mailed about three months beforeyour 65th birthday). Weigh optingout carefully because there’s often asizeable penalty if you enroll later,unless you’re currently covered byan employer’s plan.

Part C (Medicare Advantage)plans are privately run HMO orPPO Medicare plans that providecoverage similar to Parts A and B,but may also include additionalbenefits such as prescription drugs,dental and vision coverage. Inexchange for lower out-of-pocketcosts and additional benefits, you’re

usually required to use the plan’sprovider network, which may bemore restrictive than providers youcould access through regular PartsA and B.

Part D helps cover prescriptiondrugs. It’s optional and carries amonthly premium. These privatelyrun plans vary widely in terms ofcost and medications covered. Aswith Part B, you may be charged alate-enrollment penalty if you don’tsign up when first eligible and laterdecide to enroll. If you’re in a PartC plan with drug coverage, youdon’t need Part D.

Many people purchaseadditional Medigap (or MedicareSupplemental) insurance, which isoffered by private insurers and

follows strict government coverageguidelines. Medigap helps pay formany items not covered byMedicare, including deductibles,copayments, coinsurance and,sometimes, coverage whentraveling abroad.

Medigap coverage is alreadyincluded in Part C MedicareAdvantage plans; plus someemployers and unions offer it totheir retirees. Medigap plans canvary widely in terms of cost,covered benefits and statesparticipating so compare youroptions carefully.

Understanding and choosingthe right Medicare options for yourindividual situation can be acomplicated process. For assistance,

call 1-800-633-4227 or visitwww.medicare.gov, where you’llfind:

Helpful publications, including“Medicare & You 2010”

Tools to compare prescriptiondrug plans, hospitals, nursing homesand Medigap plans in your area

A resource to find local doctorsand other health practitioners whoparticipate in Medicare

Services covered by variousMedicare plans

Enrollment instructions.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’sfinancial education programs. Signup for his free monthly e-Newsletter atwww.practicalmoneyskills.com/newsletter.

By Julie Desmondjulie@insightnews.com

Planyour

career

By Jason Alderman

RailFrom 1

Suluki FardanState Rep. Bobby Joe Champion

Six Minneapolis Public Schoolsstudents were among 1,000scholars nationwide selected asthe recipients of good-through-graduation college scholarshipsfrom the United Negro CollegeFund (UNCF) GatesMillennium Scholars (GMS)Program. Fadumo Abdullahiand Abdullahi Ali of EdisonHigh School and Doua Kha,Mai Vang, Soua Chang andSusan Vang of Patrick HenryHigh School will receivescholarships that can be used topursue degrees in anyundergraduate major at thecollege or university of therecipients’ choice. The Class of2010 Gates MillenniumScholars represent 45 states, theDistrict of Columbia and threeU.S. territories: AmericanSamoa, Federated States ofMicronesia and the U.S. VirginIslands.

Established in 1999 with thegoal of developing the nextgeneration of America’sleaders, UNCF’s GatesMillennium Scholars Programis funded by a $1.6 billion grantfrom the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation. To date, over13,000 students have receivedGMS scholarships, attendingmore than 1,500 schools,including Ivy League colleges,flagship state universities andUNCF member historicallyblack colleges (HBCUs).

In addition to financialassistance, Gates MillenniumScholars receive academicsupport, mentoring andleadership training. As a result,recipients have an average five-year graduation rate of almost80 percent, 45 percent higherthan the six-year rate for allcollege students.

“The 20,000 young men andwomen who will attend collegeas Gates Millennium Scholarswill make a major contributionto helping the United Statesfulfill President Obama’s goalof regaining for America worldleadership in the proportion ofcitizens with college degrees,”said Michael L. Lomax, Ph. D.,UNCF President and CEO.“The Gates MillenniumScholars Program is aninvestment in both the futuresof these students and the

country’s economic and socialstrength and competitiveness.”

UNCF’s management of theGates Millennium ScholarsProgram is a partnership withthe American Indian GraduateCenter Scholars (AIGCS), theHispanic Scholarship Fund(HSF) and the Asian & PacificIslander American ScholarshipFund (APIASF) to serve GatesMillennium Scholars in all fiftystates, the District of Columbia,American Samoa, FederatedStates of Micronesia, Guam,Puerto Rico and the U.S. VirginIslands.

“Of all the ways to increaseopportunities for lower-incomeyouth, education is the mostimportant,” said MargaretDaniels Tyler, Senior ProgramOfficer at the Gates Foundation.“By supporting a diverse cadreof students to earn theirdegrees, we can help developthe next generation of leaders incommunities across the country.That is what the GatesMillennium Scholars Programis all about.”

When Cooper High Schoolsenior Samuel Ogunyemiopened his mailbox last week,what he found was a free ride tocollege. Ogunyemi, who hasbeen participating in AdmissionPossible’s free after schoolcollege prep program for thepast two years, is one of 20Minnesota high school seniorsto receive the Gates MillenniumScholarship. The award,supported by the Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation,covers all expenses for anundergraduate degree at thecollege or university of therecipients’ choice, and even thecost of a doctorate degree insome fields of study.

When he opened the letter,Ogunyemi was overwhelmed.“It said, ‘Congratulations,Samuel,’” he recalls. “I said‘wow’ for at least 30 minutes.Just ‘wow’ over and over. Ishowed my mom, and she wasjumping up and down. It feltgood.”

Originally from Nigeria,Ogunyemi moved to Minnesotawhen he was 10. “My parentswanted me and my brother andsister to get an education in theUnites States,” he said. “Theysaid if you get a degree here,you can go anywhere in thewhole world.”

When he arrived,Ogunyemi’s elementary schoolclassmates had a hard timeunderstanding his English, sohe decided not to talk at schoolfor three months and to justlisten. He avidly watchedchildren’s programming like“Arthur” and “Teletubbies” andpracticed English on his own.At the end of the school year, hespoke again. “I made threefriends the last month ofschool,” Ogunyemi said. “Ilearned by just listening.”

In high school, Ogunyemi’sfriends encouraged him to joinAdmission Possible with them.“I’m glad I joined AdmissionPossible because it pushed meto apply for more scholarshipsand taught me more aboutcollege,” Ogunyemi said. InAdmission Possible after schoolsessions, he worked onapplying for the GatesScholarship, setting goals tocomplete sections of the 22-page application one at a time,including each of the eightessay questions.

Ogunyemi plans to attendNorth Dakota State Universitythis fall and major inmechanical or electricalengineering or both. He wantsto be a robotics engineer andplans to take advantage of theGates Scholarship to go on tograduate school. “I’m justcounting the days until college.I’m pretty excited.”

This year, AdmissionPossible students make up halfof Minnesota’s GatesMillennium Scholarshipwinners, bringing the total

number of Admission PossibleStudents who have won theaward since its beginning to 28.Each one of the more than 600

current Admission Possibleseniors has worked diligently tocomplete scholarshipapplications. The students havebeen awarded more than 100scholarships to date, includingthe nationally recognizedHoratio Alger Scholarship.

“Paying for college can bean overwhelming obstacle forhigh school seniors, andespecially for low-incomestudents,” said Jim McCorkell,Admission Possible CEO andfounder. “Scholarships are onemore step toward makingcollege possible for ourstudents. For our students towin such prestigious awards isan honor not only for them butalso for Admission Possible.”

Last year’s Admission

Possible seniors won more than$2.9 million in scholarships, anaverage of more than $4,650per student. The approximateaverage unmet need for low-income students is $4,000, asreported by the college accessnewsletter PostsecondaryEducation Opportunity, so formany Admission Possiblestudents, scholarships helpthem overcome the financialobstacle college presents.

Helping students securefinancial aid is a core piece ofAdmission Possible’s mission.The AmeriCorps coaches whowork with seniors in theprogram help students completethe Free Application for FederalStudent Aid (FAFSA) processand identify private

scholarships to which they canapply. The Admission Possibleafter-school curriculum forseniors includes lessons on howto compare financial aidpackages offered from differentinstitutions and the differencesin forms of financial aidranging from loans to grants.

In addition to nationalscholarships, AdmissionPossible students apply to manystate and local opportunities.Thirty-one of the 42 HoratioAlger scholarships awarded inMinnesota - made possible bythe Carl & Eloise PohladFamily Foundation - went toAdmission Possible seniors.

For one week in mid-March, theMinneapolis South Rotary Clubsupported Friendship Academyof Fine Arts in its annual Read-A-Thon. FAFA, located at 2600E. 38th Street, conducted theevent during the week ofMarch 8- 12 at the school.Members of the MinneapolisSouth Rotary Club volunteeredhours of their time to read tochildren in various classrooms.Club members, Jesse Lee, EthelLee Norwood, and KarinTreiber, club president,developed a project to fundawards for the three classroomsand the three students thatachieved the highest reading

goals during the week-longprogram.

FAFA Administrator, EthelLee Norwood, expressed theviews of the teachers, parents,and students in her comment,“The 2010 Read-a-Thon was agreat success. The winningstudents and classrooms are soappreciative of the books theywere able to purchase with giftcertificates from theMinneapolis South RotaryClub.”

Presently, the FAFA doesnot have a library to serve its150 students in grades K-6.Consequently the MinneapolisSouth Rotary Club applied for

and received a RotaryInternational CommunityAssistance Grant in the amountof $500 to assist individualclassrooms in enhancing thecollection of books for thestudents in these classes and topresent individual awards tostudents so they can build theirhome libraries.

Rotary International is aworldwide organization ofcommunity-based, service-minded volunteers who work onliteracy, hunger, water-safety,and other needs.

Page 4 • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Insight News insightnews.com

EDUCATION

INSIGHT NEWS

www.insightnews.com

Insight News is publishedweekly, every Monday byMcFarlane Media Interests.

Editor-In-ChiefAl McFarlane

CFOAdrianne Hamilton-Butler

PublisherBatala-Ra McFarlane

Associate Editor & AssociatePublisherB.P. Ford

Vice President of Sales & MarketingSelene White

Director of Content &ProductionPatricia Weaver

Sr. Content & ProductionCoordinatorElliot Stewart-Franzen

Web Design & ContentAssociateBen Williams

Distribution/FacilitiesManagerJamal Mohamed

ReceptionistLue B. Lampley

Contributing WritersBrenda ColstonJulie DesmondMarcia HumphreyAlaina L. LewisRashida McKenzieRyan T. ScottLydia SchwartzStacey Taylor

PhotographySuluki FardanTobechi Tobechukwu

Contact Us:Insight News, Inc.Marcus Garvey House1815 Bryant Ave. N.MinneAPOlis., MN 55411Ph.: (612) 588-1313Fax: (612) 588-2031Member: MinnesotaMulticultural MediaConsortium (MMMC) MidwestBlack Publishers Coalition,Inc. (MBPCI) NationalNewspaper PublishersAssociation (NNPA)

Postmaster: Send addresschanges to McFarlane MediaInterests, Marcus GarveyHouse 1815 Bryant AvenueNorth, Minneapolis,Minnesota, 55411.

Admission Possible seniors set the pace in scholarships

RRoottaarryy CClluubb ppaarrttnneerrss wwiitthh FFrriieennddsshhiippAAccaaddeemmyy ooff FFiinnee AArrttss RReeaadd-aa-TThhoonn

Six students earnGates scholarships

Courtesy of Admission PossibleSamuel Ogunyemi and Admission Possible coach Ryan Rassmussen

insightnews.com Insight News • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Page 5

AESTHETICS

“This is the story of two boysliving in Baltimore with similarhistories and an identical name:Wes Moore. One of us is freeand has experienced things thathe never knew to dream about asa kid. The other will spend everyday until his death behind barsfor an armed robbery that left apolice officer and father of fivedead.

The chilling truth is that hisstory could have been mine. Thetragedy is that my story couldhave been his. Our stories areobviously specific to our twolives, but I hope they willilluminate the crucial inflectionpoints in every life, the suddenmoments of decision where ourpaths diverge and our fates aresealed...

It is my sincere hope that thisbook does not come across asself-congratulatory or self-exculpatory… Rather, this bookwill use our lives as a way ofthinking about choices andaccountability, not just for eachof us as individuals, but for allof us as a society.

This book is meant to showhow, for those of us who live inthe most precarious places inthis country, our destinies can bedetermined by a single stumbledown the wrong path, or atentative step down the rightone. This is our story.”

— Excerpted from theIntroduction (pgs. xi-xiv)

In December of 2000, WesMoore saw his name in thenewspaper when the BaltimoreSun ran a blurb about how he’d

just been awarded a prestigiousRhodes scholarship to do postgraduate work at Oxford. Butovershadowing that briefmention of him as a “localproduct done good” was asensational, front-page storyabout a brother with theidentical name who had beenarrested for shooting a policeofficer to death during theaftermath of a botched armedrobbery of a jewelry store.

Wes Moore, the college grad,was struck by the coincidenceand wondered exactly what setof circumstances might have ledhis namesake to commit such aheinous act for the sake of somebling. After all, he knew at thevery least that they were bothyoung African American malesfrom the city of Baltimore. Hecontinued to be nagged by thatcuriosity to the point that whenhe returned from England acouple of years later, he decidedto contact Wes the lesser, now aconvicted murderer serving alife sentence without thepossibility of parole.

An exchange ofcorrespondence led to a series offace-to-face visits, and the twoforged an enduring friendship,since they had a lot in common,their contrasting fatesnotwithstanding. As it turnedout, they had both been raised bya single mothers in a roughneighborhood where they hadfrequent run-ins with the police.Both had also dropped out ofschool to hang out on the streetcorners with a fast crowd. Butwhere one Wes would benefitfrom an intervention that wouldsend him to military school for aserious attitude readjustment,the other, in the absence of amentor, was simply allowed toslip between the cracks.

Their parallel and ultimatelysharply diverging paths in lifeare recounted in fascinatingfashion in The Other WesMoore, as engaging,illuminating and touching a

memoir as one could hope toencounter. Studiously avoidingthe temptation to put on any“holier than thou” airs, theauthor instead altruisticallyembraces a “There but forfortune” tone, suggesting that heand his jailed alter ego’s lotscould just as easily have beenreversed.

Wes even goes out of his wayto pay tribute to the slain policeofficer who left behind a widowand kids. “Let me be clear,” hewrites, emphasizing the pointthat any empathy for the otherWes Moore “is not meant in anyway to provide excuses… Theonly victims that day wereSergeant Bruce Prothero and hisfamily.”

This imperceptibly-interwoven double-biography isa brilliant primer on thediscouraging odds of making itout of the average, inner cityghetto nowadays. For thoseunforgiving environs remainlikely to prune the potential ofany misguided, unprotected orimpressionable youngsterunfortunate enough to take evenone false step en route toadulthood.

The Other Wes Moore:One Name, Two Fatesby Wes MooreSpiegel & GrauHardcover, $25.00252 pages, Illustrated

Book review: “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates”

On Saturday May 8,Minneapolis’ own Fine LineMusic Café is getting aHollywood makeover with anEast Coast twist, by hosting aFashion Show Fundraiser tobenefit the 8th Annual TwinCities Black Film Festivalscheduled for this October 15th– 17th.

TCBFF, founded in 2002 byNatalie Morrow, was created togive Independent AfricanAmerican filmmakers a platformto showcase their work withinthe community while providingopportunities for nationalexposure. The organization isalso responsible for splicing theflair and magnetism of urbanHollywood with our upperMidwest flavor, to narrow thegap between tinsel town and ourown backyard.

Apart from the annual FilmFestival, through Morrow’swork with the TCBFF,Minneapolis has been fortunateenough to attend a multitude of

premiere events hosted by thecompany, that celebrate AfricanAmericans in motion picture,literary and performing arts.

In the past, theevents/workshops held byMorrow have been occasionallyhosted by a celebrity guestspeaker. Prior keynotes haveincluded Hill Harper, NateParker, and many others. Theevents, which vary in design,can be as relaxing as a previewscreening of a film, a booksigning, to last year’s MadeaRally at the Favor Café on LakeStreet, which was organized byMorrow and Lionsgate Films topromote the opening of TylerPerry’s Madea Goes to Jail.

All the events, althoughindividually packaged topromote a single cause, work inunison to provide an overallexcellence; the importance ofexposing the Twin Cities topositive dimensions of AfricanAmericans in the arts.

This year’s Hollywood

Fashion Show will be hosted byEssence Magazine’s April “EyeCandy,” Joseph Nevels. Theevent is sponsored by Jay Z’sRocawear Clothing Company,and will feature the entire line asit makes its way down therunway. Other sponsors includeJuicy Couture, Aveda and more.

Tickets are priced at $20 perperson. VIP tickets are $50,which include a gift bag,preferred seating, movie passesto Death at a Funeral, and aMeet and Greet with Mr. Aprilhimself, Joseph Nevels.

Supporting this Fundraiseraids the Twin Cities in havingthat continued voice in a veryvocal industry. TCBFFcontinues to deliver themessage, and it is up to answerthe call. … especially the callfor fashion.

For more information/tickets,please visit www.tcbff.com or call(612) 309-3818.

Black Film Festival is platform for independent filmmakers

Book Review

By Kam Williams

Courtesy Random HouseAuthor Wes Moore

Photo courtesy TCBFFJoseph Nevels

The University of Minnesota’sDistinguished Visiting ScholarSeries on Health DisparitiesResearch will feature BarbaraIsrael, DrPH, Professor ofHealth Behavior and HealthEducation, University ofMichigan School of PublicHealth, and Angela Reyes,MPH, Executive Director of theDetroit Hispanic DevelopmentCorporation, in a forumTuesday, May 11 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in room 2-530 MoosTower on the University ofMinnesota Twin Cities campus.

The Distinguished VisitingScholar Series on HealthDisparities Research issponsored by the University ofMinnesota Medical School’sProgram in Health DisparitiesResearch, and Center for HealthEquity, and the School of PublicHealth’s Health DisparitiesWork Group.

For further information: TEL:(612) 626-9192 or online atwww.healthdisparities.umn.edu

Participants in the Big BrothersBig Sisters “Beyond School

Walls” program will donate 18hand-made blankets to

homeless families and theirchildren at People ServingPeople in Minneapolis. As partof a service learning project,mentors (Bigs) from Comcastand mentees (Littles) gatheredat the KIPP: Stand Academy tocreate tie quilts from fleecedonated by Comcast’s St. Paulheadquarters.

After working together tocreate the blankets, Bigs andLittles participated in ascavenger hunt for which theyresearched local homeless

shelters to learn about theservices they provide, who theyserve, and what their mission is.Using the information theylearned, the group voted onwhich shelter would receivetheir donation.

“My Little Brother Bennettand I shared a very rewardingexperience completing the tiequilt project,” said Comcast BigBrother Jeremy. “It took us afew sessions to complete, but aswe wrapped up the final ties onthe blanket, I could really sense

that Bennett felt proud ofsticking to it and completing theproject with a little grit anddetermination. We both feltgood that we were able tocomplete something we hadn’tdone before and knowing that itwas going to someone whocould benefit from it made itthat much more enjoyable.”

“It was about donating tohomeless people because that’swhat God would have wantedme to do!” said Little BrotherBen.

During this service learningproject, several of the Littleswere able to share theirpersonal experiences withshelters and talk to their Bigsabout the support their familiesreceived and about the greatwork they do in the community.

“His desire to share this[information] with medemonstrated that theseorganizations have a greaterimpact than you can put in towords,” continued Big BrotherJeremy. “It also showed thatmaking a blanket with someonecan serve as more than just a

craft activity!”“These blankets will be

given to homeless families whooften are able to fit all of theirpersonal items into one garbagebag. They don’t have manypersonal belongings. Ahandmade quilt can be verycomforting and is somethingthey can take with them whenthey move into a home of theirown. On behalf of the familiesand children at PSP, we aregrateful for this donation fromBig Brothers Big Sisters andComcast,” said Jim Minor,President and CEO of PeopleServing People.

“I thought it was kind ofcool. I never did anything likethat before. I think it’s nice forthem to have something to sleepwith,” said Little SisterTa’Nysha. When asked what itwas like working on a serviceproject with her Big Sister, shesaid, “It makes me feel likeshe’s actually my big sister. I’mnot around my real big sistermuch. The program makes mefeels safe.”

The Office of Minority Health(OMH), a division of theDepartment of Health andHuman Services, has put men atthe heart of National MinorityHealth Month. At theirFatherhood and Men’s HealthForum on Sunday, April 18 –held at Busboys and Poets inWashington, DC – the panelistsused four words to articulatethe role of men: provide,nurture, guide and protect.

But what happens whenyoung boys are raised in acommunity where there are fewresponsible men who present apositive way of life for the boysto follow?

Several key issues werediscussed, from the man’sperception of health to thegrandmother’s role as thematriarch of the family.

The events moderator wasAttorney Tonya Lee Lewis, thespokesperson for “A HealthyBaby Begins with You”campaign. She stated that thegoal of Sunday’s forum was not

to criticize men for what theydon’t do. It was a chance forthose who attended to shareinformation.

“I certainly love my Blackmen and I’m trying to helpthem as I help myself.” saidLewis.

Dr. Garth Graham, thedeputy assistant secretary atOMH, established theconnection between health andthe longevity of life early in thediscussion.

If people are doingmeaningful work and haveaccess to health insurance, theirperception of health willchange, according to Dr. WillieJ. Parker. As a result, they willbe more productive and able tocontribute rather than costsociety.

“When people are healthythey can be more self-determined,” said Parker.

According to statisticsobtained from OMH’s website,African Americans have ahigher risk than Caucasians ofbeing diagnosed with or dyingfrom any of the top healththreats. For instance, they aretwice as likely of beingdiagnosed with diabetes and 33percent more likely of dying

from all types of cancer.On the topic of youth

violence, Parker stated that theyouth feel as though they aren’timportant so they act outviolently – even sexually.

That feeling of inadequacyis only one example of thestress that affects the mentalhealth of the African-Americancommunity.

“We’re seeing the outcomeof some internalized negativevaluation,” said Parker.

According to Dr. JermaineBond, a research associate atthe Joint Center for Politicaland Economic Studies, themedia doesn’t help the youthdevelop a positive self imageby regularly showing negativeimages of African Americans.

About single mothers,Roland Warren, the president ofthe National FatherhoodInitiative, believes singlemothers can raise responsiblemen – but they shouldn’t haveto.

He also pointed out thatmany grandmothers (mostly themothers of men) don’t haveaccess to their grandchildren.Therefore, if young motherswant access to their children’schildren when they grow older,

the need to understand that thetype of father their son(s)become is connected to theirknowledge of what it means tobe a father.

During the question andanswer component of theforum, an anthropologist andrepresentative for her mentorwho is a professor at theUniversity of Maryland, stoodup to contribute to thediscussion.

She said that family lawjudges need to be trained todeal with young, AfricanAmerican males – since somany are seen before the courtsrepeatedly, and so many arefathers. Instead of sentencingthem to time away from theirchildren, they should besentenced to parenting classes.

This event is being followedby another forum at Hue-ManBookstore & Café in New YorkCity.

This years National MinorityHealth Month was dedicated tomen. OMH wants men to “ManUp for Your Health” because“Healthy Men Move OurCommunities Forward.

Page 6 • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Insight News insightnews.com

HEALTH

GET YOUR FREE

H1N1 VACCINE TODAY!

THE CLINIC

AT 555 CEDAR

Saint Paul - Ramsey CountyDepartment of Public Health

Free H1N1 vaccine for infants, children and adults.

No appointment needed.

Clinic Hours

Tuesdays 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Wednesdays 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. | 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Thursdays 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Location

555 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101

www.co.ramsey.mn.us/ph/ 651.266.1234

FLU SEASON

LASTS UNTIL MAY...

African American men: Health, family and self

Elevating our voices inhealth disparities research

Projects aiding the poor strengthen mentoring ties

By Abdullah JonesPress AssociateMen’s Health Network

Leroy Skalstad

On Monday, April 26, theAmherst H. WilderFoundation’s NeighborhoodLeadership Program (NLP)will graduate 32 students fromits 2009-10 program. Theevent, to be held at WilderCenter, 451 LexingtonParkway North, in Saint Paul,will feature a reception at 5:30pm with the programbeginning at 6:30 pm. SaintPaul Chief of Police JohnHarrington will offer thekeynote address, and AliciaHuckleby, Saint Paul PublicHousing Agency (PHA), willalso offer remarks.

“In a world that isnetworked and where ourrelationships define our roles,we must have all handspushing and pulling togetherfor progress to be made,” saidHarrington. “The NLP bringsresidents from variousneighborhoods together whereskills and relationshipsdevelop into positive socialchange.”

Harrington joined the St.Paul Police Department in1977 and during his tenure hasheld various roles in thedepartment, including as itsChief since 2004. Throughdifferent programs andinitiatives Harrington hascreated a greater sense ofcommunity and a reducedcrime rate for the city.

Huckleby, PHA RecoveryAct Coordinator, said “TheWilder NeighborhoodLeadership Program graduatesleaders who understand thatcohesive leadership andresponsiveness to change is atits most effective when guidedby the voices of thecommunity.”

The 32 NLP graduatesrepresent the various culturaland geographic neighborhoodsin the St. Paul area, bringingthe multifaceted, diversecommunity together to have aclear representation of the city.

Participants have spent sixmonths in the intensive NLP,which works on the premisethat authentic leadership andactive neighborhoodinvolvement emerges fromvisions for positive change.The NLP focuses on SaintPaul’s core, urbanneighborhoods and providesparticipants leadership skillswith the intent ofstrengthening communitythrough a healthyinfrastructure of services and

businesses, ethical leadership,effective local organizationsand active citizenparticipation.

“The people whoparticipate in NLP areindividuals committed tocreating a strong and vibrantSaint Paul,” said Kate Kelsch,NLP Program Manager.“Through participation in theprogram they gain skills,connections and personalinsight. Each year the NLPgroup is unique, drawing from

different parts of the city andits diverse cultural groups.”

Approximately 500individuals from many of SaintPaul’s neighborhoods haveparticipated in the programsince its inception fifteenyears ago. For questionsabout the WilderNeighborhood LeadershipPrograms, call (651) 280-2457or e-mail NLP@wilder.org.

WASHINGTON - PresidentObama’s has appointed AndrewVelasquez III as FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA) Regional Administratorfor Region V, which encompassesIllinois, Indiana, Michigan,Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

“Regional Administrators arecrucial to our ability to respondeffectively to emergencies basedon the needs of the communitieswe serve,” said FEMAAdministrator Craig Fugate.“Andrew Velasquez is not only anexperienced emergency managerwith deep roots in the region, butalso a dedicated public servant.His knowledge and experiencemake him uniquely qualified tohelp lead our efforts there.”

Velasquez has served asDirector of the Illinois EmergencyManagement Agency (IEMA) and

State Homeland Security Advisorsince 2007, and prior to that wasExecutive Director of Chicago’s Officeof Emergency Management andCommunications (OEMC).

As Director of IEMAVelasquez directed the responseand recovery effort of more than100 Illinois counties declaredState disaster areas. He has alsoserved as the state coordinatingofficer and the governor’sauthorized representative for eightpresidential disaster declarations.

A native of Chicago,Velasquez was appointedExecutive Director of the city’sOffice of Emergency Managementand Communications (OEMC) in2005 after serving in the ChicagoPolice Department in variouscapacities for ten years. He wasalso a member of the U.S. ArmyReserve for a total of six years.

Velasquez serves on the Boardof Directors for the Central UnitedStates Earthquake Consortium(CUSEC) and was chairman ofthe response committee for theGovernor’s Campus Safety TaskForce (CSTF), which was formedafter the Virginia Tech shootings.

Velasquez holds a Bachelor’sdegree and a Master of Sciencedegree in Criminal Justice fromIllinois State University. Healso received a Master ofBusiness Administration inManagement from Saint XavierUniversity. In 2009, Mr.Velasquez completed theExecutive Leadership programat the Naval Post GraduateSchool - Center for HomelandDefense and Security.

insightnews.com Insight News • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Page 7

...this is why we shine so bright.

For over 80 years, Hallie Q. Brown has been the Lighthouse of the Community...

The Hallie Q. Brown Early Learning Center is currently accepting applications for enrollment.

We are a licensed daycare and preschool program with a 4 Star Parent

Aware rating. We feature licensed and trained staff, Project Early Kindergarten (PEK) curriculum and a sliding fee scale. We gladly

accept Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

Contact us today for a tour and more information.

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center 270 N. Kent Street St. Paul, MN 55102 651-224-4601 www.hallieqbrown.org

Amhearst Wilder Neighborhood leadership program graduates 32

Andrew Velasquez namedFEMA regional administrator

Courtesy NLPNLP program participants. Top: Nell Goepel, Brian Hubbard, RobBarbosa, Nilka Betharte, and Lily Moya. Bottom: Sandy’Ci Moua,

Elise Peterson, Luisa Ortega Castrellon, and Alissa Grier.

Rybak, State Sen. John Marty,State Rep. Paul Thissen, MayorChris Coleman, DFL Chair BrianMelendez, and DFL AssociateChair Donna Cassutt. We’revisiting Bloomington, Mankato,Rochester and Morehead todayand we’ll be criss-crossing thestate visiting other communitiesin the coming weeks,” she said.

She added: “the Pawlentyadministration has beendevastating for so manyMinnesotans. It is so critical thatwe put a DFLer back in thegovernor’s office this year.”

Republicans this week willdecide who will be their endorsedcandidate for the August Primary.

File PhotoAndrew Velasquez III

DFLFrom 1

mean by that?Jermaine Toney: This is a greatstate to live in, health wise, butcommunities of color aren’tsharing in that success. A billMinnesota enacted into lawexpands access to health care to

22,000 more poor kids,disproportionately kids of colorwho are more likely to facepoverty and unemployment. Thisbill says, “Hey! We are going tostep up and cover you”, so that’sremarkable progress.

Al McFarlane: Your report saysthat Minnesota tops the nation’scharts on health indicators, at thesame time Minnesota is home tosome of the widest inequitiesamong whites and people of colorand American Indians.Minnesotans of color are morelikely to face premature death,poor quality of life, disease andillness compared to their whitecounterparts; racial inequities inhealth are heavy in cost; they costlives and millions of dollars.Poorly, managed chronic illnessinequitable treatment or persistent

illness may trigger interventionsthat are more expensive thanproactive measures. The report says that “since 2001,we have made some progress indecreasing disparities. Infantmotility rates have declined for allgroups with decreases rangingfrom 26 to 75% for Minnesotapeople of color and AmericanIndians. Disparities in death fromheart disease have decreased forBlacks by 94%. While heartdisease remains a challenge forAsian Pacific Islanders andLatinos, there are no visibledisparities. And despite progress,stark health disparities remain inhealth status, life expectancy andquality of life for people of colorand American Indians compared towhites. “

And broad race categoriesoften obscure underline in equities

in health such as those that existwithin Minnesota’s Asian PacificIslander communities. Our healthpolicies,” your report says “mustbuild on the progress especially aswe head into the next decade withpopulations of color, newMinnesotan’s and AmericanIndians continuing to shift the faceof health care.” Jermaine Toney: The ClosingInequities through HealthyCommunities initiative allowsthose who are most impacted byhealth inequities to work withgovernmental bodies to close thegaps.

Al McFarlane: It seems like partof the challenge was money. Thisact in particular called for fundingof organizations that would becoming from a sustainable poolprobably from the annual tobacco

payments. Now, that money isalready claimed by certain playersand is that part of the problem; thatprograms already in place are usedto those revenue streams didn’twant to allow those revenuestreams to be diverted to new uses?Jermaine ToneyWell going down that street wasn’ta priority for the Legislature and itdidn’t become law. We werelooking at racial inequities andhere is a proactive piece oflegislation that could help turn itaround. Now, we have to look tothe future hoping for progress andmake sure that dollars step behindreally good policies with vision ofturning around the racialdisparities.

For more information on OAP,www.oaproject.org or (612) 746-4224.

Last week I was involved in acar accident. Thank God, no onewas hurt; only my pride. See theaccident was my fault. Once Imade sure the passengers in theother car were fine, weimmediately pulled out paperand pens to exchange insuranceinformation. The young ladycommented, “I sure am glad youhave insurance.”

“Yes, I have goodinsurance,” I replied. Or so Ithought. Little did I know thatmy insurance was not “all that.”This experience taught me avaluable lesson; I need to fullyunderstand the type ofinsurance we have and thedetails of the coverageprovided. Long story short, wewere not happy with the wayour insurance company seemedto be trying to avoid paying afair settlement to the other

party. We try to always treatpeople the way we want to betreated, and we did not findtheir actions acceptable.

Do you have good healthand life insurance?? What aboutthe coverage on your car, home,or apartment?? Have you readthe fine print lately?? Here aresome money-saving tips andquestions to ask your agent todetermine if you actually havegood insurance coverage.

Always negotiate your autoinsurance claim. Autoinsurance companies almostalways try to give you the leastamount of money they can. Inmy case, instead of completelyaddressing the damage I causedto the other vehicle, theywanted to pay a discountedportion of the claim since theother car was not in perfectcondition. In my eyes, that waswrong, and I immediately calledmy insurance company. At theconclusion of my conversationwith one of the managers, hecommented, “I have never had acustomer advocate for the otherparty in this way.” It’s alwaysright to do the right thing. Yousleep better at night and God’sblessing flow upon your life.

What’s Your DeductibleAmount? The same week I had

my accident, my girlfriend hadan accident of her own. A supertall tree fell in her backyard,destroying their fence, tearingthe pool cover, and barelymissing the house. She and herkids watched it happen and juststood there in disbelief. She wasshocked to find out that thedeductible on theirhomeowner’s insurance wasseveral thousand dollars-probably close to the amount itwill cost to repair everything.At least annually, you shouldreview the terms and conditionsof your insurance, so you won’tbe surprised later. Weigh youroptions carefully and pick theone that fits best with yourcurrent situation.

Smokers’ life and healthinsurance policies will usuallycost more. Want to save moneyon this type of insurance?Consider kicking the habit.Some health insurance policieseven offer a discount to thosewho maintain a healthy lifestyleby going to the gym at least 12times per month. Also, if youare going to buy life insurance,do it while you are young,otherwise you will pay bigbucks when you get older.

Buy insurance from areputable company. While I

love a bargain, one of the thingsyou can’t skimp on is a reliableinsurance company. Whenshopping for insurance do yourresearch; compare prices andcheck the company’s rating withthe Better Business Bureau.Consider starting off withwww.Progressive.com. Theywere rated the #1 insurancewebsite for 2009 (and I gettickled every time I see Flo, thelady on their commercials). Andwhatever you do, get grown-people insurance, so you can bein “good hands” (hear the deep,comforting voice of thathandsome brother from the AllState commercial).

The way I see it —insuranceworks great as long as younever need to use it. Call youragent this week to review yourpolicy details and ask anyquestions you may have. Thatway, you won’t be caught offguard if you are ever involvedin an accident. When you doneed to file a claim, rememberthat you have rights, so do notbe intimated by the process.Communicate your questionsand concerns professionally,(resist the urge to cusssomebody out-it rarely producesa favorable outcome) and keepspeaking to the next layer of

management, until a suitableresolution is reached.

As for how my situationended, after about three lengthyphone calls, I was finally able toconvince my insurer to reviewtheir initial assessment, andthey came back with a morefavorable settlement, whichallowed for the other car to be

taken care of properly-like itshould have been. Drive Safely.Enjoy!

Marcia Humphrey is an interiordecorator and home stager whospecializes in achieving highstyle at low costs. A native ofMichigan, she and her husband,Lonnie, have three children.

Page 8 • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Insight News insightnews.com

LIFESTYLEGot good insurance? You need to fully understand your policy

By Marcia Humphrey

Style on a dime

www.kopecinsurance.com

OAPFrom 2

Like many Black Americans, theProject 21 Black ConservativeLeadership Network called the USSenate’s “apology for slavery”resolution “useless”. But, Project

21 seems to be singing somebodyelse’s agenda when they say:“apologizing for slavery andsegregation will be used as alobbying tool to acquirereparations payments.” Is theconcept of reparations for Blacks adead issue and is Project 21contributor Jimmie L. Hollis rightin urging the Senate to “moveon”? Hollis says: “As an Americanof African ancestry, I think thisapology is ridiculous and useless.It is just another ‘feel good’ action.If we are to start apologizing forevery injustice and wrong done inthe past, we will spend the nextfew decades just apologizing.”

Most American descendants

from slaves would agree “anapology is not enough.” In 2010,a disproportionate number ofAfrican Americans are in jails andensconced in judicial systems.Unemployment among Blacksremains, as it has for decades,twice that of Whites. Blackinstitutions, social agencies,education and communities aretypically funded below rates forWhites. Yet, in the face ofAmerica’s institutionalized patternof discrimination, this cadre ofyoung Blacks steadfastly standsfor the status quo.

Can any deny the “rightness”of reparations? Its human andlegal rights advocates say AfricanAmerican reparations are based ona legal precedence: that when asociety or group willingly andknowingly commits a crime or“moral wrongs”, a form ofcompensation is due. Themovement has been led, before hisdeath, by Johnnie L. Cochran,Randall Robinson and a venerableconstitutional attorney Dr. RobertL. Brock. Cochran was heading areparations for slavery lawsuit

against the United States ofAmerica.

Brock says “a debt is owedBlacks for the centuries of unpaidslave labor that built America’searly economy and money owedfrom discriminatory wage andemployment patterns Blacks havebeen subjected to sinceemancipation”. A legend in BlackReparations circles, Brock getslittle mainstream media withstatements like: “The wealth ofAmerica is our legal property.But we must make our legalclaims to get money as othershave.”

Before some Project 21contributors were out of highschool, Brock was holdingmeetings across America,supporting US Rep. John Conyers’H.R. 40 Bill “to form aCommission to Study ReparationsProposal for African Americans”.In the years before he becameHouse Judiciary Committee Chair,Conyers made it a ritual to submitH.R. 40 in Congress each yearsince 1989. Basically H.R. 40: 1)acknowledges the fundamental

injustice and inhumanity ofslavery; 2) establishes acommission to study slavery andits subsequent racial and economicdiscrimination against freedslaves; 3) studies the impact ofthose forces on today’s livingAfrican Americans; and 4)commission would then makerecommendations to Congress onappropriate remedies to redress theharm inflicted on living AfricanAmericans.

But the imperative ofcorrecting and repairing the legacyof slavery and its continuingeffects on African Americans is onthe skids. Conyers has now givenup on what now appears to havebeen a 20-year facade oflegislating for slave reparations inAmerica. Conyers was recentlyquoted saying “the reparationsissue is too controversial to pursueat this time.”

For the few who think thingshave changed, for most BlackAmericans, situations haveremained the same. For themajority of African Americans thevestiges of slavery and de jure

segregation continue. Yet, theHouse Judiciary Committee’s firstBlack head now says reparationsare “too controversial to pursue”.At a time when America has itsfirst Black President and firstBlack Judiciary Chair; it is morethan ironic that the level ofdiscussion about absence ofwealth, work, educational, andeconomic capacity among Blacksis more muted than under previouspeople in those positions.

It’s odd that Blacks woulddamper down discussions aboutreparations during the Presidencyof a Black man? Are the voices ofProject 21’s protégées the politicalreality? Have conversationsregarding rectifying economicinjustices done Blacks completelydied; or will African Americansgive attention to, and make thepassage of, H.R. 40 a prioritydespite Conyers and Obama?

(William Reed –www.BlackPressInternational.com)

In the age of Obama, is the movement for reparations dead?

insightnews.com Insight News • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Page 9

COMMENTARY

The President and Congresssuccessfully overhauled thehealthcare system in a majorway, making it possible fornearly four million Americans toget needed healthcare insurance.Despite this great – andhistorical – news, more workremains. One of the remainingobstacles we have to overcomeis making sure health insurers

can’t raise their premiums by anexorbitant amount. Withoutoversight on this front, thebenefits of the healthcare billwill be lost to many.

Insurer Anthem Blue Crossin California plans to raise itsinsurance premiums by 39-percent, a move that has manycustomers on edge. Thecompany has put the rate hike onhold for now, but the verythought of such an increase fromany insurer has legislatorsmoving quickly to act. U.S

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-California) and U.S Rep. JanSchakowsky (D-Illinois) arepushing legislation that wouldprevent insurance companiesfrom raising premiums withoutprior approval from a regulatorybody. Some states already havethis step in place, most do not.

Of course, leaders in theinsurance industry say that moreregulation is not the answer.They want federal officials toinstead work to reduce risingmedical costs, which play a part

in driving up premiums. Indeed,skyrocketing medical costs issomething the country needs towork on but the insuranceindustry premium increases dorequire oversight, plain andsimple.

Policymakers attempted toinclude such legislation in thehealthcare bill but that provisionwas ultimately cut. Ironically, itwas the threat of the rate hikefrom Anthem that resurrectedthe healthcare bill.Unfortunately, lawmakers make

a grave mistake when they letthe bill pass without thismandate.

If they move quickly, theyhave a chance to get it right.Requiring insurance companiesto get prior approval beforesignificantly raising their rates isthe best approach to making sureall that health care reformpromises does not ultimately fallflat.

Judge Greg Mathis became theyoungest judge in Michigan’s

history and was elected aSuperior Court Judge forMichigan’s 36th District. He hasbeen called upon as a regularcontributor to national televisionprograms, including “Larry KingLive,” “Politically Incorrect,”CNN’s “Talk Back Live,”“Showbiz Tonight” and “Extra”to discuss his opinions on complexissues of the day, such as nationalsecurity, unique sentencing,affirmative action and celebrityscandals. He also offers his takeon high-profile legal cases.

Regulate health premiums or reform benefits will be lost to many

(NNPA) - Title I was created “toensure all children a fair andequal opportunity to obtain ahigh-quality education.”However, the formula fordistributing Title I funds isstacked against the very childrenit was most intended to help.The current formula (a complexcombination of four formulas)favors large districts regardlessof their child poverty rate whilechildren trapped in areas ofconcentrated poverty in mid-sized cities and rural districts areseriously disadvantaged. Theinequities between and withinstates are blatant and must berectified in this reauthorizationcycle.

Why should Mississippi, thestate with the highestconcentration of Title I eligible

students (27.2 percent) and thehighest concentration of childpoverty (30.4 percent), get anaverage allocation of $1,318 foreach Title I eligible studentwhile Wyoming, with the lowestpercent of Title I eligiblestudents (11.6 percent) and athree times lower child povertyrate (11.6 percent), receives anaverage of $3,149 per Title Ieligible student—a $1,831difference per child?

And why should Virginia’sBuchanan County Public SchoolDistrict, with over 30 percentTitle I eligible students and a 28percent child poverty rate,receive $1,363 per eligiblestudent while Virginia’s HenricoCounty Public Schools, with 9percent Title I eligible studentsand a 10 percent child povertyrate, receive $1,943—almost$600 more per eligible student?

This is simply wrong andwidens the opportunity gapbetween rich and poor districtsand rich and poor children Title Iwas intended to help close. Thisresource inequity denieschildren in areas of concentratedpoverty a way out and fuels thecradle-to-prison pipeline whichis creating a new American

apartheid. A revised and morejust allocation must ensure ALLchildren an equal opportunity tolearn and succeed. Injustice toany child or group of childrenfor a single day is morallyindefensible, and the five yearsof this reauthorization period isa very long time in the life of achild.

The Children’s DefenseFund (CDF) believes that themost effective way to fix theseinequities is to reform theformula but recognizes that acomplete formula change thisyear may not be possible. In anycase, immediate steps can andmust be taken now to ensuremany poor children a more levelplaying field including:Supporting early learning byincorporating the Elementaryand Secondary Education Act(ESEA) Early LearningChallenge provisions forchildren 0-5; including 0-5children in any formuladetermining funding allocationsto high poverty districts; andrequiring a percentage of thesefunds to be directed to supportquality programs for youngchildren.

Providing additional new

competitively awarded moniesto those districts and studentsmost in need (as a partial way ofdealing with the fundinginequities) by including“poverty concentration” amongthe selection criteria; givingincentives to public-privatepartnerships in those areas; andensuring these districts thetechnical support essential tosuccess.

Providing effectiveeducational support and stabilityfor children in juvenile justicefacilities and foster care underTitle I-D to reduce recidivismand help children escape theprison pipeline. The Departmentof Education must require thatchildren and teens in juvenilefacilities receive a high qualityeducation, coordinated with thepublic school curriculum, andthat schools facilitate theirsuccessful transition back toregular classrooms. Children infoster care also need stabilityand equal access to educationalopportunity.

The Fostering Connectionsto Success and IncreasingAdoptions Act of 2008 requiresstate and local child welfareagencies to collaborate with

education agencies to promoteeducational stability for fosterchildren. Reciprocalrequirements on educationagencies are now needed inESEA.

Ending zero tolerance schooldiscipline policies and out-of-school suspensions whichdisproportionately affectminority children. While schoolsafety is not negotiable, one sizefits all zero tolerance policiescontribute mightily to schooldrop outs and the cradle toprison pipeline. Current schooldiscipline policies too often arebased on the seriousmisbehavior of 5-10 percentstudents. While violent andseriously unruly students mustbe separated from the rest of theclass, they need appropriatecounseling and ways to keep upwith coursework in a supervised,supportive learning environmentuntil they are ready to rejointheir peers.

The Department ofEducation must promotepositive, consistent, and fairdiscipline measures that keepstudents in school and learningand focus more on preventingand re-enrolling school dropouts

building on proven strategies.In 1969, CDF’s parent

organization, the WashingtonResearch Project, issued its firstreport: Title I: Is it Helping PoorChildren? The answer then was“no.” Unless major changes aremade to Title I’s fundinginequities and more attention ispaid to those most vulnerablepoor and minority children whoare at risk of dropping out andgoing to prison, the answer willstill be “no” for millions ofchildren.

It is time for the federalgovernment to be an instrumentof equality rather thaninequality. CDF stands ready todo everything we can to helpachieve this doable and longoverdue goal.

Marian Wright Edelman isPresident of the Children’sDefense Fund whose Leave NoChild Behind® mission is toensure every child a Healthy Start,a Head Start, a Fair Start, a SafeStart and a Moral Start in life andsuccessful passage to adulthoodwith the help of caring familiesand communities. For moreinformation go towww.childrensdefense.org.

TTiittllee II ffuunndd ffoorrmmuullaa ddiissaaddvvaannttaaggeess mmaannyy cchhiillddrreenn iitt wwaass ccrreeaatteedd ttoo hheellpp

Children’sDefense Fund

By Marian WrightEdelman

BusinessExchange

By William ReedBlack Press

Business/Economics

By Judge Greg Mathis

Page 10 • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Insight News insightnews.com

Asian Americans make up approximately six percent ofHennepin County residents. The largest groups areHmong, Vietnamese, Asian Indian and Chinese. Asiancelebrations are centered around food and Asian cuisineis known the world over for its rich flavors and spices.

This May, in celebration of Asian Pacific AmericanHeritage Month, Hennepin County Library's Spice andSlice of Asia 2010 series explores the role food plays inHmong, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese cultures. Localculinary professionals and community figures will sharethe history and traditions of food and festivities withintheir respective communities.

Mai Nguyen of Mai Village Restaurant, St. Paul, willdiscuss some special foods connected with Vietnamesecelebratory dinners, including seven beef dishes.Librarian Phuoc Tran will talk about Vietnamese comfortfoods with lotus as their main ingredient, and thesymbolisms attached.

The Korean Service Center will present a typical kids'birthday table and describe significant birthdaycelebrations and foods consumed at other life-definingoccasions.

Local culinary expert and award-winning cookbookauthor Raghavan Iyer will weave in personal stories ofIndian foods such as whole milk creams, succulent oposquash croquettes and stewed plantains, and discuss theirsymbolic meanings in the Indian cultural tradition.

Hmong Culture Center representatives will discuss

the role food plays in important and deeply religiousHmong ceremonies such as funerals and weddings, andhow shamans use food as a communication tool with theworld of spirits.

There will be companion exhibits of typical cookingutensils or serving pieces at presenting librariesthroughout May. The Korean and Hmong exhibits alsowill include a selection of "Talking Suitcases" --handmade vignettes that tell stories of immigration,personal loss and identity.

Dates and locations of programs are:

Vietnamese Foods and FestivitiesMinneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall,Minneapolis Doty Board RoomSaturday, May 1, 1:30 p.m. Exhibit: May 1-31Vietnamese artifacts and traditional cooking utensils

Spice and Slice of Asia: Korean Foods and FestivitiesSouthdale Library, 7001 York Ave. S., EdinaSaturday, May 8, 1:30 p.m. Exhibit: May 1-27Korean cooking objects that focus on issues ofimmigration, personal loss and identity

Spice and Slice of Asia: Indian Foodsand FestivitiesEden Prairie Library, 565 PrairieCenter Dr., Eden Prairie Saturday, May 15, 1:30 p.m. Exhibit, May 1-31: Indian cookbooks,cooking utensils, serving pieces

Spice and Slice of Asia: HmongFoods and FestivitiesBrookdale Library, 6125 ShingleCreek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center Saturday, May 22, 1:30 p.m. Exhibit: May 1-31Hmong artifacts, including "TalkingSuitcases" that focus on issues ofimmigration, personal loss andidentity

Spice and Slice of Asia: Vietnamese Foods and FestivitiesAugsburg Park Library, 7100 Nicollet Ave., Richfield Sunday, May 23, 1:30 p.m. Exhibit: May 1-31

Vietnamese artifacts and traditional cooking utensils May was designated by President George H. W. Bush in1990 to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month tocommemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the

United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark theanniversary of the completion of the transcontinentalrailroad by mainly Chinese immigrants on May 10,1869.

For further information contact:Chaleng Nong Lee, Asian Outreach Liaison, HennepinCounty Library at 952-847-5641 or call the HmongPhone Line: at 952-847-8828. www.hclib.org/pub/info/welcome/?language=hmong

EventsCredit Smart- OngoingFREE Credit Education Classes. Every Tuesday, 6-8pm. Minneapolis Urban League 2100 Plymouth Ave.N. Mpls. HYPERLINK

“http://www.mul.org/”www.mul.org Contact Theresa(612) 827- 9268

Realizing the American Dream – OngoingHome Buyer Program. First Thurs. of every month, 6-8pm. $25.00 per Family, Minneapolis Urban League

2100 Plymouth Ave. N. Mpls. HYPERLINK “http://www.mul.org/”www.mul.orgContact Theresa (612) 827- 9268

Conversation Circles - Apr. 5 to May 10Mondays, April 5-May 10, 6:15 p.m. atAugsburg Park Library. Non-nativeEnglish speakers: practice your English andmake new friends in an informal,volunteer-led setting, and learn about thelibrary, too. Call 612-630-6069 for moreinformation in English or, in Hmong, 952-847-8845; in Somali, 952-847-8756; inSpanish, 952-847-8510.

“The House of Bernarda Alba” byFederico García Lorca - Apr. 9 to 25All shows at 7:30 p.m. at the SteppingStoneTheatre, 55 Victoria Street North. Tix: $15General Admission / $12 Students &Seniors. 612-203-1088, www.PangeaWorldTheater.org

“Critical Conversations: Middle EastConflicts, Root Causes” - OngoingA course on Middle East Conflicts will beheld through St. Paul CommunityEducation, every Tues. from 7 p.m. to 9p.m. for five weeks, beginning Tues., April20 at Como Park Senior High School, 740West Rose Ave., St. Paul. Fee: $35. Info /registration: call 651-293-8733.

Red Balloon Bookshop UpcomingEvents – Thru MayA series of book clubs and events forchildren, and adults. Includes authormeetings and readings, book clubs for kids,book clubs for adults who enjoy children’sbooks and more. To see all upcomingevents, visit: http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/

A Gospel Music Celebration HonoringReverend Carl Walker - May 1Sat. May 1, Concert begins at 4pm, with abanquet to follow at 5:30pm. St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church - 100 N.Oxford Street St. Paul, MN 55104 - Formore information or to buy tickets, contact

cdoesmusic247@aol.com

Annual Mother’s Day Recognition Dinner - May 2Sunday, May 2 at St. Paul Masonic Center; 200 E.Plato Blvd. in St. Paul, MN -4 pm to 7 pm. Donation:Children age 5-11 - $5; age 12-Adult - $8. Forquestions or reservation call (612) 825-5636 before/orby April 26th deadline.

Adoption Meeting - MAY 3Learn about the many types of adoption, children whoneed families, timelines and costs at a FREE AdoptionInformational Meeting from 7-8:30pm Monday, May3 at HOPE Adoption & Family Services, 5850 OmahaAve N, Oak Park Heights, MN. The meeting is free butplease register: 651-439-2446 or www.hopeadoptionservices.org.

Lowertown Reading Jam - May 3The Saint Paul Almanac’s popular monthlyLowertown Reading Jam series continues in May withan evening showcasing what it means to be a CulturalWorker and the power of using the arts to heal, createand build community. 7-8:30pm. Black Dog Café, 308Prince St, St. Paul

The Hormel Strike: After 25 Years - May 4In August 1985, workers went on strike at the Hormelplant in Austin, Minnesota. A quarter-century later, geta perspective from two participants in the strike, DaleChichester and Pete Winkels, as well as historian PeterRachleff, author of Hard-Pressed in the Heartland. Tues., May 4, 7 pm at UFCW 789 Hall, 266 HardmanAve., South St. Paul

Minnesota Veterans Career Fair - May 5 The Minnesota Department of Employment andEconomic Development is sponsoring the VeteransCareer Fair on May 5 to help connect military veteranslooking for work and employers who are hiring. 11am-3pm on Wed., May 5. at the Earle Brown HeritageCenter, 6155 Earle Brown Drive, Brooklyn Center.

Overcoming Debt and Embracing FinancialIndependence – May 5Geoff Bullock will explain how to develop a personaldebt-management plan, how to prevent garnishmentsand rebuild credit, and what Fair Debt rights are.Bullock will also cover the deceptive practices of debtcollectors. Wed., May 5 at 6:30pm. Rice StreetLibrary, 1011 Rice Street, St. Paul.

Parent resource fair for those affected by FetalAlcohol Spectrum Disorders - May 7Friday, May 7th, 2010 will be held from 10:00am-12:00pm. at HSI at 7066 Stillwater Blvd. N inOakdale. For more information and to register for thisevent, please call Cathy Luiken at 651-351-3152.

2010 National Poetry Slam Preview/Fundraiser –May 7w/ Guante, dial_system, Mnemosyne, Fresh Squeeze,See More Perspective, DJ Nak and top Twin Citiesslam poets. Fri., May 7, at the 501 Club.9pm. 21+. Nocover.

The Hollywood Fashion Show Fundraiser - May 8New York Style, Featuring Jay Z’s Rocawear Line.Sat. May 8, with Special Guest Joseph Nevels.Fineline Music Cafe, 218 First Ave S. Mpls. Doors at8pm, show at 9:30, Donation $20

Hope House Benefit Auction - May 8Hope House of St. Croix Valley, an adult foster carehome for people living with AIDS, will be holdingtheir 15th Annual Benefit Auction on Saturday May 8,From 10am to 2pm, rain or shine, at 451 North EverettSt. Stillwater, MN.

TAWU Artist Development Network MonthlyMeeting - May 8The TAWU Artist Network is seeking new members.Artists interested in working as a group to secureexhibition sites, selling and training opportunities,and/or simply being in the company of a supportivegroup of visual artists should check us out. Sat. May 8,2010 - Noon - 2:00 p.m.

Mother’s Day Brunch – May 8Picture of a Virtuous Mother – Sat., May 8, at11:00am. Zion Baptist Church 621 Elwood Ave. N.Mpls, MN 612-377-5436

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats – Now thruMay 9Bell Museum of Natural History, 17th Ave. SE inMinneapolis, on the University of Minnesota campus.Free admission on Sundays. Info: 612-624-7083.Register: 612-624-9050.

From Hybrid Corn to Honeycrisps: UniversityAgricultural Success Stories by PhotographerDavid – Now thru May 9Bell Museum of Natural History, 17th Ave. SE inMinneapolis, on the University of Minnesota campus.Free admission on Sundays. Info: 612-624-7083.Register: 612-624-9050.

St. Joan of Arc Church Mental Illness MinistryEvent –May 10Speakers: Theresa Carufel and Dennis Jackson; Topic:Family Members and Mental Illness; 5:45—6:45:Light meal provided; 7—8:15: Speaker; free and opento all; no RSVP needed; Roseann 612.823.8205; Mary,c l a u d e m a r y p a r a d i s @ c o m c a s t . n e t ;www.stjoan.com/mimfr.htm; Site: SJA ChurchHospitality Hall, Door 1, 4537 Third Av S, Mpls.

wegotserved.blogspot.com

CLASSIFIEDSPHONE: 612.588.1313

FAX: 612.588.2031

EMAIL: sales@insightnews.com

PHONE: 612.588.1313 EMAIL: ben@insightnews.com

FAX: 612.588.2031 ONLINE: http://insightnews.comCOMMUNITY CALENDAR

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ) IN THE FAMILY COURT ) FOR THE

COUNTY OF ORANGEBURG ) FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

May E. Kiazolu, ) Docket No. 10-DR-38-278 ) Plaintiff, ) )

v. ) SUMMONS )

Varney Jumor Kiazolu, ) ) Defendant. )

)

TO: THE DEFENDANT ABOVE-NAMED

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED AND REQUIRED to answer the Complaint in

this matter, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your

answer to said Complaint upon the subscriber at his offices located at 2000 Park Street,

Suite 100, Post Office Box 8596, Columbia, South Carolina, 29202-8596, within thirty

(30) days from the service thereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to

answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered

against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

ISAACS & ALLEY, L.L.P.

G. Robin Alley, Esquire 2000 Park Street, Suite 100 Post Office Box 8596 Columbia, SC 29202-8596 (803) 252-6323 Attorneys for the Plaintiff

gra@isaacsandalley.comColumbia, South Carolina

February 12, 2010

NOTICE: The Summons in this action, of which the above is a copy, together with the Complaint therein was filed with the Clerk of Court of Orangeburg County on March 5, 2010

Hallie Q. Brown Community CenterExecutive Coordinator

DEPT: AdministrationSUPERVISED BY: Director of Finance and Operations & Executive DirectorTITLES SUPERVISED: N/AFLSA: ExemptSALARY GRADE: $25,000 - $33,000

POSITION SUMMARY:Coordinates the day to day affairs of Executive Management for the agency. Keyresponsibilities include: Executive support, office administration; humanresources program coordination, customer relations, employee recordsmanagement and regulatory compliance support.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:1. Supports the overall leadership for the Agency.2. Provides administrative support for the Executive Director, including but notlimited to: Taking projects from start to finish including troubleshooting, problemsolving and providing updates as necessary; anticipating and proactivelysupporting the administrative needs of Executive Director including conductingresearch and analysis, preparation of correspondence, reports and charts,managing calendar and schedule. Maintains files and records as appropriate.3. Assists Executive Management with Board meeting logistics and details,including scheduling and administratively supporting the production of Boardmeeting information packets, etc.4. Supports the Director of Finance and Operations in the coordination of thehuman resources function, including maintaining personnel files and appropriateagency documentation to support compliance requirements; documents the HRactivities, actions and processes related to hiring. 5. Develops reports and budget information as needed.6. Provides general office support to Executive Management.7. Professionally represents HQB in various community engagement activitiesand meetings, as appropriate. 8. Acts as a liaison between general public, partners, organizations and otherkey constituents and Hallie Q. Brown Executive Management.9. Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:Education and Work Experience: Bachelors Degree with 2-3 years ofadministrative experience, Associates Degree with 3-5 years of administrativeexperience or the equivalent required.

Other Requirements: • Ability to deal with confidential information • Ability to handle tight deadlines • Exceptional computer skills • Excellent verbal and written communication skills • Excellent customer service skills • Organized and detail oriented • Ability to work effectively with employees, colleagues and manager • Agree to mandated child abuse reporting guidelines • Ability to relate to people from diverse socio-economic and culturalbackgrounds • Dealing with unfavorable weather conditions

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements andreferences to:

Hallie Q. Brown Community CenterATTN: Human Resources270 N. Kent StreetSaint Paul, MN 55102651-224-7074-Faxhr@hallieqbrown.org

Hallie Q. Brown Community CenterSubstitute Teacher

DEPT: Early Learning CenterSUPERVISED BY: Youth Program ManagerTITLES SUPERVISED: N/AFLSA: Non-ExemptSALARY GRADE: $10-13/hour

POSITION SUMMARY:This is a substitute position designed to fill in as needed on a short or longterm basis for permanent teaching staff. Substitute Teacher participates inlong and short range activities for students in accordance with curriculumobjectives and engages students in developmentally appropriate activities.Assists with ensuring that the classroom is appropriately staffed andmaintained to provide a safe and secure environment for each child.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:1. Works with teaching staff to implement program curriculumand coordinate students activities.2. Plans and supervises the arrangement of the classroomenvironment in accordance to program goals and philosophy.3. Maintains a safe and healthy environment, including safelymanaging developmental activities for the participants.4. Keeps all appropriate records such as records, attendance,time sheets and accident reports.5. Maintains open communication with parents/guardians of theprogram participants regarding the developmental needs of theparticipants.

QUALIFICATIONS:Education: Associates degree or equivalent in early childhooddevelopment. B.S. in Early childhood Development preferred.

Licensing and Certifications: CPR and Meet all applicable licensingregulations. Valid Driver's License and proof of insurance. MinnesotaTeachers' License (preferred).

Work Experience: 5 years of Child Care Center or related experiencerequired.

Other Requirements:• Dealing with confidential information.• Tight deadlines.• Dealing with unfavorable weather conditions.• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.• Ability to work effectively with employees, colleagues and manager.• Agree to mandated child abuse reporting guidelines.• Ability to relate to children from diverse socio-economic and culturalbackgrounds.

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements andreferences to:

Hallie Q. Brown Community CenterATTN: Human Resources270 N. Kent StreetSaint Paul, MN 55102651-224-7074-Faxhr@hallieqbrown.org

Administrative and ProjectSupport Staff position

The PEACE Foundation is looking for someoneto join its team as a full time Administrative andProject Support Staff. Requirements for thisposition include: excellent computer skills in MSOffice, strong communication skills with an abilityto interact effectively with many different people,a high attention to detail and accuracy, flexibility,and previous office experience work in a similarcapacity. Please send a resume and cover letterby May 17th to laura@citypeace.org, or toPEACE Foundation, 1200 West Broadway Ave.,Suite 180, Minneapolis, MN 55411.

ABAMinnesota Blizzards

Basketball The Minnesota Blizzards ABA Basketball Teamis announcing a program for college Internshipsfor the fall and winter. The program will consistof five teams of 5 interns each in the followingareas: (1) Sales, (2) Basketball Operations. (3)Marketing (4) Public Relations (5) Businessadministration. Each team will have a leaderand be given challenging assignments.

We are looking for college students majoring inSports Management, Business, PublicRelations, Marketing Sales, Broadcasting andEvent Planning. We need 20 or 25 internsworking with us for a (minimum of 8 hours aweek) on a part-time basis. Interns will gainvaluable experience, and in most cases collegecredits. Interested Parties please sendresume to:

The Minnesota ABA Team Attn: Internship Program10125 Crosstown Circle #200 Eden Prairie, MN55344

952-829-1250 Fax: 952-829-1040www.minnesotablizzards.com

Library examines Asian cultures through food traditions

insightnews.com Insight News • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Page 11

On Thursday, April 8, 2010, TheGirl Scouts of Minnesota andWisconsin River Valleys held itssecond annual Women ofDistinction Luncheon whichcelebrated seven women whohave shown extraordinarycourage, confidence, andcharacter, as well as the goal ofGirl Scouts preparing youngfemale leaders of tomorrow.

The MC for this year’saward ceremony was FOX 9news anchor and former GirlScout Robyne Robinson, whoopened up the ceremony byasking all girl scouts and formergirls scouts to join along withher in singing the BrownieSong.

The event focused onteaching young women thepurpose of discovering theirtalents and attributes, learning towork together and being able totake action to make a difference.This is a goal executive directorof Girl Scouts of Minnesota andWisconsin River Valleys LindaKeene wanted to not only getacross to her girls but to thepeople who influence and makea difference in their lives.

“Studies have shown thatgirl’s leadership aspirations and

qualities can develop throughorganized skill buildingactivities and exposure toleadership opportunities,” saidKeene. “Through participationin Girl Scouts, girls gain skillsand capacity to succeed in lifeand to make a positivedifference in the world.”

Barbara Boelk, publicrelations specialist for GirlScouts of Minnesota andWisconsin River Valleysbelieves it is important to showyoung girls adult female rolemodels making a difference. “Ifwe don’t give these girls actualreal life examples, how will theylearn,” said Boelk, who gave 30girls from all over theMinnesota and Wisconsin RiverValleys the opportunity to attendand host the luncheon. It isimportant to her that theseyoung girls are empowered andunderstand their importance.

This message of femaleleadership was further pushedby the event’s key note speaker,the first woman of color inspace, Dr. Mae Jemison.Jemison wanted lunch attendeesas well as the future femaleleaders of tomorrow to knowthat they should not let time passthem by without seizingpossibilities and takingresponsibility to put things into

action. “If we wait fortomorrow, tomorrow will come,if we don’t wait for tomorrow,tomorrow still comes,” saidJemison, “we have to riskputting things into action.”

The women honored wereSusan S. Boren, one of the firstfemale partners at SpencerStuart; Gail K. Boudreax,president of United Health Careand executive president ofUnited Health Group; YvonneCheung Ho, president and CEOof Metropolitan EconomicDevelopment Association,whose mission is to helpentrepreneurs of color succeed;Nancy Lindahl , a distinguishedvolunteer and philanthropist ;Mee Moua, first HmongAmerican elected to a statelegislature, senator of District67 in the state of Minnesota; andlast but not least, Kim Nelson,senior vice president of GeneralMills and president of GeneralMills snack division.

Along with honoringaccomplished adults, GirlScouts also honored one of theirown young women who hasmade a difference, PatrickHenry High School senior,Miranda Yang. Yang, a memberof Girl Scouts and GSMV’ssister program, HmongWomen’s Circle, strives to teach

women like her that they don’thave to sacrifice their culture,but should embrace who the areas Hmong Americans. Yang said“I am a woman, a HmongAmerican, a Girl Scout.”

As the afternoon eventclosed Robinson asked all theluncheon attendees to pick up

the Girl scout envelopes on theirtable and each donate what theycan to send a girl to camp orconference so they can continueto the create and develop youngfemale leaders of tomorrow.Each guest also left with a tokenof appreciation from the girls, ahomemade card and a river rock

that either read connect,discover, or take action, allgoals each person should try toachieve in their own journeys tosuccess.

For more information onGirl Scouts of Minnesota andWisconsin River Valleys,www.girlscoutsrv.org.

Girl Scouts discover, connect and take action at luncheonBy Chris Garner

Jackie MeansDr. Mae Jemison and Girls Scouts from different troops within Minnesota and the Wisconsin River

Valleys.

“This is an extraordinary victoryfor North Minneapolis and for theentire city,” said William English,CBC/AALS co-chair. “For the firsttime the district is showing itscommitment to our community in aneconomic sense. Our community hassuffered loss of teachers of color dueto rigid seniority systems. The loss ofteacher incomes means ourcommunities have sufferedeconomically.”

“This decision may signal areversal in that trend,” English said.“The School Board awarded themost diverse development team inhistory of Minnesota with theThor/Mortenson partnership and theLegacy/Mortenson partnership, andothers. The decision is symbolicbecause it says that our communityand our needs are more than just a

source of revenue. The decisionestablishes the notion that if we aregoing to change the outcomes for ourstudents, we have to be involved atevery level of the educationenterprise. This is evidence of that. Itgives us motivation and inspirationto stay at the table, to confront whenneeded and to cooperate always.”

School Board Director ChrisStewart said he supported the choiceof West Broadway because it metthree criteria. First, he said, “Itrecognized the difficulty the Districtfaces trying to balance academicimprovement while facing anenvironment of decliningenrollments and decliningrevenues.”

“Secondly, it provides theopportunity to consolidateoperations effectively and efficientlyso that the district will be able toinvest more money into theclassrooms,” he said.

“Third, with any large businessdecision, it makes sense to consider

the economic and social impact. Thisdecision does that,” Stewart said.

He said North Minneapolis hasthe largest number of kids in thedistrict, but is the area where theDistrict has lowest market share ofthose kids. “Many of the kids we doserve in North Minneapolis are themost marginalized, not onlyacademically, but socially andeconomically.”

Stewart said he rejected criticswho argue that the District is givingNorth Minneapolis an unfairadvantage by paying too muchattention to North Minneapolis at theexpense of other areas of the city.

The Board approvedconstructing a new building 1250West Broadway, on the North StarSchool site. Administrative stafffrom 807 NE Broadway, Webster,the Lehmann Center and the current1250 West Broadway building willbe housed in the new headquarters.

The new headquarters will openSeptember 2012.

Adult Basic Education andexisting childcare programs for thechildren of MPS students may alsobe located at the new headquarters.

Board Director T. Williams, wholives in North Minneapolis, said hevoted for the West Broadway sitebecause the proposal addressescritical space needs and because ofthe strong recommendation fromDistrict administration staff.

“This proposal increases theopportunity for the district to engagethe community. It will stimulatemore volunteerism both on the partof District employees and on the partof corporate and communitystakeholders who are committedimproving outcomes for studentsand their families,” Williams said.

Williams reflected on a programseveral years ago where teen parentsreceived childcare and mentoring ina program set up in the corporateheadquarters of Honeywell. “Theycreated a safe and welcomingenvironment that was supported by

the corporation and its employees.That program made a difference inthe lives of these young parents,” hesaid.

He said headquarters childcareresource for children of students canreplicate the secure, supportiveenvironment that can deliver positiveresults for students.

Asouth side welcome center willbe developed at 2225 East LakeStreet, the former Brown Instituteand Anishinabe Academy building,as a part of this plan.

Currently, MPS operatesadministrative offices in fourbuildings: 807 NE Broadway,Webster School in NortheastMinneapolis, 1250 W Broadway andthe Lehmann Center on West LakeStreet in South Minneapolis.

School administrators said thenew headquarters proposal right-sizes the amount of administrativespace to the number of employees,reducing administrative office spacefrom 633,000 square feet to 275,000.

The District said consolidatingspace into one facility will saveapproximately $10 million over thenext three decades and provideadministrative staff with anappropriate place to work.

Informational communitymeetings were held on April 8, 20and 22 to review three prospectiveproposals. The three proposalsreviewed included:• 1250 West Broadway: Newbuild-to-suit structure for DistrictHeadquarters/Welcome Center. Theproposal includes a partialrenovation of the former Anishinabebuilding at 2225 East Lake St. forWelcome Center/CommunityEd/Adult Basic Education. • 807 NE Broadway (currentheadquarters): Full renovation ofexisting district administrationbuilding. • 11th Avenue & 3rd Street South(Valspar Building): Lease of anexisting single tenant office buildingwith parking ramp.

MPSFrom 1

Basketball ain’t what it used tobe, but it’s pretty impossible notto marvel at the size and grace ofthe young men flying – butmostly lumbering – down thecourt, and regularly flying skyhigh over the rim. I meanDwight Howard of the OrlandoMagic seems likely to be able todunk a ball over the backboard,and every time I see hisshoulders I think of the Eddie

Murphy stand-up phrase “Awlook at his shoulders.”

Lebron James is the closestthing to a live video gamecharacter, and Kobe Bryant hasfinally achieved the status of“Greatest Michael Jordan LookAlike of All-Time.” So I supposewhen I think about it like that, Iremember that Magic Johnsonwas huge, and actually had hopsbefore he got his Hollywoodweight; and I would alsoimagine that Wilt Chamberlaincould dunk a ball over thebackboard. So maybe thingsaren’t so different afterall…except for DwightHoward’s bison sizedshoulders…and martian sizedlittle head (he-he).

Though the overall brand ofNBA basketball ain’t what it

used to be – disciplined – it’s noless enjoyable to watch the verybest players in the game exerttheir exotic abilities in theintimate confines of thebasketball arena – the physicaltheatrical set-up of basketballmakes for good distractionwatching the fans, for themoments when it gets lamewatching big dudes slowlydribble a ball (I’m watchinghockey while I write this, andthink hockey would be a morepopular sport if they didn’t havethe glass between the action andthe crowd. And I also figured Ididn’t want you to miss out onthe visual of a pro hockey gamewithout the glass to protectpeople from screamingslapshots. That way the fanscould be missing teeth just likethe players.).

Anyway, the NBA Playoffsare underway so we have nightafter night of dribble drama. Thedefending champions, the LosAngeles Lakers, have lookedbetter in past championshipyears entering the playoffs, but

they have been known to playlike some lax prima-donnascausing unnecessary drama, andquite the high amount of“pisstivity” in my family’shouseholds. All the LakerHaters are lathered-up,nonetheless, and praying for thedownfall of the Hollywood signand the potential next LakerDynasty.

Well, Hugh Hefner is savingthe Hollywood sign, and KobeBryant is saving the Lakers byfinally being forced by FatherTime to pass the friggin’ ball. Theyoung legs of the Oklahoma

Thunder, was one of my biggestconcerns for my favorite teamcoming into the playoffs. Besidesthe problems that the Thunders’fresh, young, “don’t know anybetter than to think they can win”brashness and ability, I really

don’t see any other problems inthe Western Conference for theZen mastered reigning championsLos Angeles Lakers. While I’mquoting Eddie Murphy, I’ll use hisComing to America SexualChocolate character quote todescribe the Lakers “They play sobeautiful don’t you agree.” Theystarted here in Minnesota, so ofcourse, they play beautiful(smile).

Talking about the Lakerspossibly playing the Cavliers in aFinals match-up is talking aboutsome real ballin’ goin’ on.LeBron has Shaq on his side now,

and as much as people like tothink Shaq is washed-up: He isstill 7’2” and 340 or so lbs., andhe still has a big butt to pushpeople around and then dunk onthem real hungry like. Ain’tnothin’ changed except the

country Cleveland backdrop whenit comes to Shaq and the NBAplayoffs, and the addition ofAntawn Jamison to the Cavaliersprovides another veteran whoknows how to get his, and play hisrole at the same time.

And though people seem toignore the fact that the OrlandoMagic were in the Finals last year,last I checked they were the firstones to polish off their 1st Roundcompetition, and their newaddition, Vince Carter, was a partof the same national championNorth Carolina team that taughtAntawn Jamison how to close thedeal.

I’ve got two words for you:Twin Towers. If Pau Gasol andAndrew Bynum of the Lakersdon’t forget how to play that niftygame of volleyball that they doaround the basket, then we canALL look forward to anotherseries of Kobe’s championshipNike puppet commercials. Thosewe’re definitely some of the bestcommercials in the history oftelevision…in my humbleopinion. Kobe. Pass the ball.

Page 12 • May 3 - May 9, 2010 • Insight News insightnews.com

SPORTSLLooookk ffoorr aannootthheerr sseerriieess ooff KKoobbee’’ss cchhaammppiioonnsshhiipp NNiikkee ppuuppppeett ccoommmmeerrcciiaallss

By Ryan T. Scottryan@insightnews.com

Mr T’sSportsReport

“Shaq is still dunking onpeople real hungry like.”

lakers.topbuzz.comL.A. Lakers, 2009 Playoff Champions