MN VIDEOS | Welcome to North, a documentary film

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Check out this moving, short documentary film by Josh Chitwood about “the most stereotyped side of Minneapolis.” The video description says, “This piece communicates that [North Minneapolis] is not a ‘sketchy hood’, but a neighborhood where families and myself live life together and have true community.”You can follow Josh on Facebook: facebook.com/joshchitwoodtheartistNOTE: Josh’s film was entered in the RE/MAX Results City and Neighborhood film festival. According to Longfellow Community Council: “A screening of the 15 finalists will be held Thursday, November 14th, 2013 7-9pm at the Riverview Theater. Awards will be announced at the end of the screening. Admission to this screening will be $7.00 with all proceeds going to a scholarship program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College Film Department …” Continue Reading

“Don’t Buy Miss Saigon” unity rally, in pictures

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Artists, organizers, and community members convened in a unity gathering in downtown St. Paul’s Rice Park last Tuesday, to bring attention to what they see as racially offensive imagery and messaging in the play “Miss Saigon,” which was touring at the Ordway Theater earlier this month. A coalition of Asian American organizers and allies have brought together artists, activists and community members over the past several weeks to bring local, and even national, attention to the problematic play. The Facebook page for the event reads, “‘Don’t Buy Miss Saigon’ Coalition has been organizing against the stereotypes and misconceptions perpetuated by the production of Miss Saigon and the fact that it has come back to the Ordway for the third time. The Coalition has created the October 8 event as an opportunity for local Asian Americans and our allies to come together in solidarity and to share our own truth about what it means to be Asian American.”Above are some pictures taken by community organizer, Xay Yang, and the event’s photographer, Anna Min. Yang said the event was very well attended. “It was intergenerational and people were mobilized and energized. The organizers were strategic in their planning and had put in so much passion into this. Continue Reading

Reaching out to underrepresented communities: We want your feedback

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I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked, “So Lolla, what do you do?” since I started working for the Twin Cities Daily Planet. Just last week, I was asked that question on two different occasions.I don’t blame people who don’t totally get what my title Community Engagement Editor means. I remember when I first started the job and was asked to do outreach to all Twin Cities underrepresented communities, I thought to myself, “All underrepresented communities?! Well, how does that work?” I wasn’t sure if we were talking about communities of color? Faith communities? Continue Reading

#HoodiesUpMN protesters draw connection between Trayvon Martin and Terrance Franklin case in Minneapolis

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The sweltering heat did not deter the crowd of Minnesotans who gathered in downtown Minneapolis on July 15 to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman, Florida teen Trayvon Martin’s killer. Multiracial participants of all ages and of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds attended to express their concerns and anger with racism in the criminal justice system, and the racial profiling of black males and communities of color. Organizers from Neighborhoods Organizing from Change said they collected 3,000 signatures from participants on clipboards. The organizers had three demands: for the United States Department of Justice to bring criminal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman; for the prosecution of the police officer who recently shot and killed 22-year-old Minneapolis resident Terrance “Mookie”Franklin; and for the decriminalization of black youth and youth of color, locally and nationwide.The protesters also rallied against larger issues of police brutality, racial injustice and structural racism.Raising their fists in the air to symbolize “black power,” marchers zigzagged through downtown Minneapolis for more than an hour after listening to speeches.Dr. Nekima Levy-Pounds, associate professor of law at the University of St. Thomas Law School, was one of more than a dozen speakers who took the mic to talk about racial inequity.Her impassioned speech called for a second civil rights movement in America.”We need to wake up! It’s time we wake up from our slumber!” she implored, calling for the African American community to stop being complacent about civil rights.”I refuse to be refused! And I am sick and tired of being sick and tired,” she repeated, to the crowd’s cheers and applause.Many speakers told the audience that the cause of the deaths of both Trayvon Martin and Terrance Franklin are connected by racial profiling. Continue Reading

OPINION | Sidestepping race in Zimmerman’s trial only puts a bandaid on America’s racial wound

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Over the past several days, I have been watching the trial of George Zimmerman in horror, anger, and disgust. My heart has been heavy.I watched at the attempts to discredit Trayvon’s parents – Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. I watched as they cried throughout the trial, my heart aching as Trayvon’s mother looked away when her son’s dead body was shown on the screen. I could see the immense pain in her eyes.And then there was Trayvon’s friend, Rachel Jeantel. I watched how Zimmerman’s defense attorney grilled Jeantel with unnecessary details. Continue Reading

Ubuntu “straight talk” for Africans and African Americans aims to tackle Twin Cities racism

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The energy and sense of community were palpable during an open, “straight talk” session at South High School for African and African American community members last week. Titled “Ubuntu! Storytelling Across the Boundaries of Nation, Culture and Ethnicity,” the panel discussion and community dialog covered much ground.Some of the topics discussed include: racism, migration histories, complex identities, in-group racial tensions, and the struggles of the black diaspora in the Twin Cities and beyond. The purpose of the discussion was to create a space for people of African descent to find creative ways to work together across ethnic, cultural, and national difference. The audience enjoyed food catered from local African restaurants while the panelists tackled complex subjects through storytelling. The diverse panelists represented different generations: Flamingo restaurant owner and women’s advocate Shegitu Kebede, Malanna Fields, artist and policy advocate Andrea Jenkins, local journalist and editor Lolla Mohammed Nur and community elder Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati. The panel and audience were made up of diverse members of the African, African American, and other communities.The Straight Talk session was organized by Zenzele Isoke, University of Minnesota professor of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies (GWSS), and the Black Feminist Praxis Project Team. Continue Reading

OUR STORIES | Barbara Pierre-Louis: “Ubuntu” and storytelling preserve untold histories

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Barbara Pierre-Louis attended the “Ubuntu! Storytelling Across the Boundaries of Nation, Culture and Ethnicity,” a community conversation about migration, nation, identity, and race at South High School. The event was organized by Zenzele Isoke, a professor of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, and the Black Feminist Praxis Project Team.Dr. Pierre-Louis, a professor at Metropolitan State University, reflected on the importance of storytelling to her as a Haitian American in Minnesota. Storytelling is a way of preserving the stories and wisdom of her ancestors and black revolutionaries, such as Toussaint L’ouverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, she said. She also talked about the importance of libation, a ritual pouring of water as an offering to a spirit, as a way of celebrating those who have passed. Reporting for this article supported in part by Bush Foundation. Continue Reading

OUR STORIES | Taharra Patterson: Terrance Franklin “could have been my child”

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St. Louis Park resident Taharra Patterson was one of 250 protesters at the Justice for Terrance rally on May 31. She attended the protest because she is against police brutality and, “this easily could have been my child, and if it were my child I would have wanted someone to do it for me. So I’m here for justice for the family,” she said. Patterson also supported the Trayvon Martin rally last year.What does she hope will come out of protesting? Continue Reading