Learning in traditional ways from Native children’s literature

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n Ojibwe tradition, as well as in all other Native cultures that I know of, womanhood from birth until the return to the spirit world is a sacred state, honored and respected. Countless generations of storytelling, combined with observation and experience, are the foundation of Ojibwe teaching and learning. For girls, this has been intertwined with preparation for the passages of the female life; the words themselves, ikwe for woman and kwesens (“small woman”) for girl, indicate a meaningful seamlessness in the cosmology of tribal womanhood. The position of Ojibwe woman is equal in status and power to that of Ojibwe men; this concept is so basic to our worldview that it is rarely even stated. Many Native women feel that our cultural role, including our gifts and resulting obligations, is beyond the constructs of majority American feminism, that “indigenous feminism” as defined by majority feminists is not empowering and inclusive so much as simply missing the point. We are Native women; our culture honors womanhood. The students in the American Indian Women course that I teach, both Native and non-Native, have sometimes struggled to understand (and to reconcile with some preconceived stereotypes) the manifestations of female power and position in cultures unfamiliar to them. As their teacher – a storyteller and an older Ojibwe woman – I thought that they might find it helpful to apply their own experience and knowledge to their questions by stepping back to their childhood days through an examination of Native children’s literature. Diverse though our experiences may be, we were all children once, and I believe that reading children’s literature helps us to see and learn through the lens of that commonality. Continue Reading

Longfellow Art Crawl Might be Cancelled for 2015

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Organizers of the 2014 Longfellow Art Crawl have announced they will not be planning and administering an art crawl in 2015, citing other time commitments and priorities.For its first five years, artist and graphic designer Bob Schmitt served as art crawl administrator, overseeing the entire process, coordinating other volunteers, planning and chairing meetings, and serving as the primary contact person; he also created and managed the LoLa (League of Longfellow artists) website and designed the logo and all printed materials.When Schmitt stepped down as administrator after the 2013 event, a small group formed a committee to share administrative duties and organize the 2014 crawl.The LoLa art crawl, which has always been an all-volunteer event, first took place in August of 2009, with 42 artist participants at 20 sites throughout the greater Longfellow area. Participation peaked in 2013, when there were 155 artists at 89 locations. The 2014 art crawl featured 114 artists at 60 sites.The Longfellow Community Council, which has been LoLa’s fiscal agent since 2011, has no plans to step in and intervene, but it invites those who would like to help continue the art crawl to join their Community Connections committee to discuss possible ways to work with other volunteers on the project.“LCC views the LoLa art crawl as an asset to the community. It is our hope that other artists in the community are compelled to take on a leadership role and continue the annual event,” said Melanie Majors, executive director of LCC.“LCC welcomes LoLa artists and other interested residents to join our Community Connections committee to discuss the potential for continuing the art crawl or other opportunities to share art with the community,” she added. The committee meets the second Tuesday of the month, 6:30–8 p.m., at Longfellow Park. Continue Reading

Increased Black home ownership would slice wealth gap

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Researchers studying the affects of public policy on the racial wealth gap estimated that the median wealth of Black households would rise 451 percent if Blacks owned homes at the same rates as Whites.“With policies that advance the rate of Black and Latino homeownership to the same rate as White households, Black median wealth would more than quadruple and Latino media wealth would more than triple,” said Catherine Ruetschlin, a senior policy analyst at Demos, a public policy group that advocates for political and economic equality.A joint effort by Demos and the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP), a research group that advocates for economic opportunity, security and equity for individuals and families, detailed the key factors in housing, education, and the labor market that have contributed to the racial wealth gap for generations.The report by said that the median Black household had $7,113 in wealth holdings compared to the median White household, which had $111,146 in wealth holdings in 2011.“Black households hold only 6 percent of the wealth owned by White households, which amounts to a total wealth gap of $104,033, and Latino households hold only 8 percent of the wealth owned by White households, a wealth gap of $102,798,” stated the report. “In other words, a typical White family owns $15.63 for every $1 owned by a typical Black family and $13.33 for every $1 owned by a typical Latino family.”According to the report if public policy eliminated racial disparities in income, the median Black wealth would grow $11,488 and if disparities in college graduation rates were eradicated, median Black wealth would grow $1,313.Thomas Shapiro, the director at IASP, said that the racial wealth gap is one of the most critical issues as the United States moves into the 21st century. Shapiro said that researchers designed a new tool called the “Racial Wealth Audit,” to get a real, objective handle on the impact of policy on wealth accumulation in the United States and what the racial wealth gap really looks like.Tamara Draut, the vice president of policy and research at Demos, said that while researchers and policy analysts have been heartened by the burgeoning debate surrounding rising inequality in the United States and the implications that it has for all of our standards of living, the underlying racial divide that underpins so much of the inequality in this country is less understood and less talked about.“In addition, Black and Latino college graduates saw a lower return on their degrees than White graduates: for every $1 in wealth that accrues to median Black households associated with a college degree, median White households accrue $11.49,” stated the report.Black families also experienced lower returns on the income that they earned, when compared to White families.“If households of color had the same wealth returns estimated for White families with similar incomes, the racial wealth gap would decrease by 43 percent,” said Tatjana Meschede, the research director at IASP. “To make progress in closing the racial wealth gap, policies need to address both income inequality and differential wealth returns to income.”Meschede said policy recommendations to address income inequality included raising the minimum wage, the creation of a federal jobs program and increasing unionization.“Homeownership is the largest reservoir of wealth and financial stability that American families have,” said Thomas Shapiro, the director at IASP. “It’s just that it is so inequitably distributed at this point in time in the value of wealth that it creates.”With the creation of the Federal Housing Administration in 1934, the United States government sanctioned lenders to use “redlining” to systematically deny Blacks access to that reservoir of wealth for decades.“While redlining was officially outlawed by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its impact in the form of residential segregation patterns persists with households of color more likely to live in neighborhoods characterized by higher poverty rates, lower home values, and a declining infrastructure compared to neighborhoods inhabited predominantly by White residents,” stated the report. Continue Reading

March for peace on March 21

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Organizing against a war might make some folks weary if they remember how long they’ve been doing it.Almost 13 and a half years ago the Twin Cities antiwar movement held its first demonstration against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Twelve years ago it demonstrated against the U.S. bombing of Iraq.  A generation of children has been born into a culture of perpetual war, been told that the U.S. has the right to unilaterally intervene in the affairs of other nations and that it is OK to kill people and destroy property as long as the bombs are dropped for humanitarian reasons.  The potential for weariness is apparent.Yet, there are also multiple reasons for hope.The military draft is no longer a feasible way to staff U.S. wars.Mercenaries are not a reliable replacement for citizens willing to fight for a cause.Workers in other countries are often unwilling to fight for their U.S. installed leaders, whose allegiance is to the U.S. ruling class rather than their compatriots.Drones carrying remote controlled bombs can now and will be increasingly intercepted by opponents.Technology used to fight wars due to the lack of volunteer soldiers has limited usefulness.  Bombing countries or sections of countries back into a pre-industrial age creates enemies in those countries and resistance at home.The majority of Americans oppose continued U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and even NATO members oppose the U.S. further arming the current  regime in the Ukraine.Millions of people around the world have marched and rallied calling for the world’s resources to be used for the humanitarian needs of the world’s population.  They represent the majority. They symbolize hope. They search for the strategies and tactics needed to win against the most powerful military in the history of the world.  The ruling empire already understands that it does not have their support.The week of March 18 – 21 will see anti-war actions throughout the Washington, D.C., area.  In solidarity, the Twin Cities protest will be March 21, gathering for a 1 p.m. rally at Lake Street & Hiawatha Avenues in Minneapolis; then, marching a few blocks to Walker Community Church at 16th Avenue and 31st Street for a 2 p.m. program.Called by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by 31 Twin Cities peace and anti-war organizations, organizers will provide a public venue for those wishing to give peace a chance.[See original article here: http://southsidepride.com/march-for-peace-march-21/] Continue Reading

We Are Your Neighbors: Things You Might Not Understand about New Immigrants

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By PM English Level 5/6 Class at the English Learning CenterThere are many things that people in Minnesota don’t understand about new immigrants. There are many things in our culture that are different.First, our religion is different. Some new immigrants are Christians, some are Muslim, and some may be another religion. One difference for Catholics from Mexico and South America is that they celebrate Virgin Mary on December 12. Muslims pray 5 times a day. Continue Reading

Council on Black Minnesotans being weakened

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In the new movie Selma, Martin Luther King, Jr. works tirelessly to integrate Black Americans socially (education, opportunity), economically (jobs, housing), and politically (voting, holding office). He understood “American” refers not to race, religion or country of origin, but to the ideal of “truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…with certain unalienable rights.”Our leaders have taken their eyes off this prize, turning the Civil Rights Movement into a rewards program for Black “leaders,” not Black communities. On March 8, 2015, this genie of truth was exposed when an “alert” message was sent by Council on Black Minnesotans (COBM) Executive Director Ed McDonald, identifying House and Senate bills calling for gutting the COBM’s power to look into the issues of diversity, affirmative action, or complaints of violations of the rights of Black Americans in Minnesota.Mr. McDonald identified the legislation and the sponsors and asked his board to authorize him to file suit in the federal district court in St. Paul. The COBM Board, with the exception of two members, refuses to endorse this legal action.Do not these actions reflect how Black American leaders and White Liberal leaders (Democrat Farm Labor/DFL Party) contributed to our Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, and how The Dream [became] the Nightmare, as they try to shift blame in their finger-pointing at White Republicans?For a decade I have written on the failure to integrate Black Americans with White Americans in stadium and arena construction (Twins, Gophers and Vikings). Continue Reading

Shopping farmer’s markets with SNAP benefits gains steam

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Fresh fruits and vegetables grown right here in Minnesota are a staple of farmer’s markets, so allowing low-income consumers to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program vouchers to purchase fresh, healthy foods at the markets makes sense, according to Rep. Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth).Anderson sponsors HF352, which would appropriate $2 million in the next biennium to create the “Healthy eating, here at home” grant program. Nonprofit organizations could apply for grants to work with Minnesota-based farmer’s markets to provide $10 vouchers to SNAP participants who use their electronic benefits transfer card to make healthy purchases.The bill was laid over by the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee Wednesday for possible omnibus bill inclusion. SF316, a companion sponsored by Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Mpls), is scheduled for a March 18 hearing by the Senate Finance Committee.Grocery stores could also accept vouchers for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables if a federal waiver is obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.“This is something I strongly support,” said Rep. Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake), chair of the House Agriculture Finance Committee.Pilot programs have proved successful and now it’s time to expand the program statewide, said Colleen Moriarity, executive director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota. The program could help up to 495,000 SNAP participants, Moriarity said.Shopping at farmer’s markets is a great way to socially engage in the community while supporting local agriculture, she added.[See originl piece here: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/SDView.aspx?StoryID=5582] Continue Reading

The Art of Resistance

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Art is powerful. For Indigenous communities, art is medicine with incredible healing properties. It is a way to create beauty in the messy process of decolonization. It is also a means to educate, inspire and enliven Indigenous activist movements.Minneapolis is no stranger to Indigenous activism, so the “Art of Resistance” exhibition opening on the American Indian Cultural Corridor’s All My Relations Gallery complemented the rich activist history in the Twin Cities. The traveling exhibit reflect over 30 years of environmental justice work of Honor the Earth, a national Native-led organization based in White Earth, Minn. Continue Reading

For lasting climate-change reform, focus on consumption

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Last month, MinnPost’s Ron Meador outlined climate change’s likely impact on Minnesota over the course of the coming century. Meador’s article, and the study to which it referred, adds a sobering close-to-home detail to our collective knowledge about the risks associated with climate change.Meador’s article, and others like it, should spur us to action. To date, governments and others at national and local levels have offered a variety of fix-it plans. These plans include increasing efficiency standards of cars, moving to renewable energy sources, designing carbon capture models, geoengineering, and implementation of new “green” construction standards, among other related suggestions.Markedly absent in mainstream conversations are suggestions that Americans simply consume less. Ideas that do circulate about lifestyle change tend to be either “back to the land” proposals or framed in the language of “giving people options”: bicycle lanes give people the option to get out of their cars; condos provide snazzy options for young people and empty nesters. Continue Reading