Youth activism: Washburn High School theater teaches advocacy

By |

Eshay Brantley didn’t know what to expect walking into the Theatre I class at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. But, having felt as though she hadn’t found her niche in school yet, she went in with an open mind.Two years later, Brantley’s a senior, and identifies as a spoken word artist and has competed in the spoken word competition Brave New Voices through Tru Art Speaks, performed at locations including Macalester College, and received an award for her role as a youth educator at the Twin Cities Social Justice Education Fair.“We save lives here every single day, just by having students get on stage and actually speak from their heart,” Brantley said.Theatre I is just one of five classes now being taught at Washburn through their Black Box Acting Program. The series, which started in 2008, provides three levels of theater classes, as well as a spoken word class and one aimed at students with developmental disabilities. The program is meant to help students further explore social justice issues, and teach them skills to help them better advocate their needs and beliefs.Brantley said she came from a family that didn’t talk about social justice issues, so the theater classes provided her with an outlet to explore social issues like marginalized communities and systematic oppression. The classes also helped her figure out her role in those issues and within her community, she said.“[It] made me think less about myself and more about the people around me and what I see is affecting the people around me,” Brantley said.Brantley’s experience with the program is not an anomaly. Continue Reading

Minneapolis school board candidate Iris Altamirano issues statement about negative campaigning

By |

Minneapolis at-large school board candidate Iris Altamirano issued this statement about recent negative campaigning:

A recent negative mailing and negative campaign calls we’ve seen and heard about, in the past week are more examples of what I’ve been saying throughout our campaign: We need a new conversation about education in Minneapolis because the situation for our kids is too urgent. Negative campaigning does not move us in that direction. Our campaign has been focused on bringing people together and building a collective vision for all Minneapolis kids to have opportunities to succeed. I will continue to campaign with integrity, respect for all perspectives, and with the deep belief that we must move beyond the polarized framework of this debate and put children at the forefront of this conversation. Continue Reading

The Family Place, day shelter for homeless families, launches Montessori program

By |

The Family Place (244 E.10th St., Saint Paul), the only day shelter for homeless families in Ramsey County, is finally getting into gear their long-awaited Montessori program, all thanks to the generosity of 10-year-old Bella Lauer.”When I was little, I always wanted to do something to change the world,” said Lauer. “When my mom found this day center and I saw the children’s room, I knew I had found a way to do it.”Lauer was honored with The Family Place’s First Annual Outstanding Youth Award for her inner beauty and graciousness in helping children in the community. At her last birthday party, instead of presents, Lauer asked for donation money to provide books and toys for The Family Place’s infant and preschool-aged children’s room, now renamed Casa de la Bella.Lauer raised almost $5,000. The children’s room has been completely refurbished and The Family Place has been able to begin training its staff and volunteers in Montessori teaching methods.This article is reposted from TCDP media partner Insight News. Check out the links below for other recent Insight News stories:Man interruptedYour right to remain silent”And it’s all because of Bella,” said Dr. Margaret Lovejoy, founder of The Family Place, who has been fighting alongside homeless families on many fronts for more than 13 years.”It’s important that we have the courage to be able to help children learn,” said Lovejoy. Continue Reading

Are Minneapolis’ school board seats being bought?

By |

Will a seat, or two, on the Minneapolis school board be sold to the highest bidder?The amount of money flowing into the 2014 Minneapolis school board race is enormous, according to the campaign finance reports that were submitted by candidates and various advocacy groups.Of the four at-large candidates running for the two open citywide seats on the school board, Don Samuels has raised the most money, with a total of $65, 103. Next up is Iris Altamirano, who shares the DFL endorsement with incumbent Rebecca Gagnon. Altamirano’s report shows that she has raised over $41,000, which is more than twice as much as Gagnon’s totals. Candidate Ira Jourdain has raised just over $3,000.What may be more interesting is the amount of money from outside of Minnesota that is flowing into the race, through groups such as the 50CAN Action Fund, the Students for Education Reform Action Fund, and a group calling itself the Minneapolis Progressive Education Fund (MPEF).While the most recent totals for both the 50CAN Action Fund, which is the advocacy arm of the education reform group MinnCAN, and the Students for Education Reform Action Fund are under $40,000, the MPEF has amassed a huge war chest, to the tune of more than $200,000, according to a campaign finance report filed on Oct. 28.Looking at the reports, the money MPEF has raised is mostly coming from a handful of billionaires and millionaires from outside of Minnesota. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, for example, gave the MPEF $100,000, while California billionaire Arthur Rock gave $90,000.Daniel Sellers, who is the director of MinnCAN and its 501c4 advocacy group, the 50CAN Action Fund, is also the chair of the MPEF. Continue Reading

VIDEO: “I would like more of the Latino community to vote”

By |

Many nonprofits participated in Get out the Vote this year, and they’re sharing why voting is important to them on video.Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) launched their very first civic engagement program, adding voter education to their long list of community services. The program, which started earlier this year, provides educational outreach services to Minneapolis residents who may not know about the voting process, or why it’s important.“I think as CLUES, it’s our responsibility and it’s our obligation to advocate for our community members,” said Joel Martinez, who runs the new program. “Not just in direct services … but also equip leadership within our community members.”Recently, the program took to the streets around Franklin and Chicago, Martinez said, teaching community members how to vote, and even how they can get involved if they can’t vote yet. Even if some community members can’t vote for legal reasons, he said, they can still get involved and make a difference in their community.Mercedes Moreno with CLUES hopes to see the Latino community get more involved in politics. Check out her video and see what voting means to her below. In EnglishEn Español Coverage of the 2014 elections is funded in part by a grant from The Minneapolis Foundation. Continue Reading

Not enough time: Following up on school board candidate forums

By |

The November election is less than two weeks away, and for the four at-large candidates for the Minneapolis school board, it’s candidate forum time.This past week, on Oct. 20 and Oct. 24, candidates Iris Altimarno, Rebecca Gagnon, Ira Jourdain, and Don Samuels appeared at forums where all of the questions asked came directly from the audience, on the spot, and were not pre-determined.The Oct. 20 forum was sponsored by a handful of southwest Minneapolis neighborhood associations, such as Fulton, Kingfield, and Lyndale, and held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Minneapolis City Council member Elizabeth Glidden hosted the Oct. Continue Reading