House passes standard-setting bill for dealing with pregnant inmates
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Since 2009, there have been 66 births by women serving time at the state’s women’s prison. Approximately a dozen women incarcerated there at any one time are expecting a child.
Why teacher diversity matters
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I’ve written recently about implicit bias and how it interferes with delivering a great education to every student. One other path to pursue when addressing implicit bias is diversifying the teacher work force. Continue Reading
BEHIND THE STORY | From symbolic gesture to social change
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On April 25, I had the privilege of attending the Minneapolis City Council meeting where the local government body voted unanimously to observe Indigenous People’s Day on the day of the federal holiday known as Columbus Day. It felt important and correct that this change was made — even if, as some pointed out, it didn’t actually get rid of Columbus Day, which is a federal holiday. Instead, it was a local government body doing something they could actually control — the resolution paves the way to use Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day in various ways they communicate to the public that it’s a holiday, such as press releases that offices are closed, parking meter signs, etc.To me, it was an example of how large changes can start small. At times, the wrong in the world can feel overwhelming, especially when so many of the biggest decisions happen without much input from the average citizen. But when you look at something like the act of saying, “Hey, we know it’s a federal holiday, but we’re just going to go ahead and call it something else,” that can lead to bigger changes. Continue Reading
‘Whose Diversity?’: University of Minnesota group calls for action with delivery of about 30 far-reaching demands to administration
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Independent student collective Whose Diversity? released a list of diversity-rooted demands to University of Minnesota policymakers Wednesday.
‘Now is the time’ to diversify the MPD: Veteran officers campaign to bring more women and people of color into Minneapolis police force
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It is no secret that historically the relationship between the Minneapolis Police Department and communities of color in Minneapolis has been tense, at best. Between brutality, shootings, racial profiling and other problems, the tension has led to the creation of a civilian review board, and even at one point, to federal mediation. Yet the tensions continue.
Should family caregivers have protected status? Conferees discuss Women’s Economic Security Act provision
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If you’re a family caregiver should you be protected against discrimination in the workplace? This is the question the conference committee on the Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA) seeks to answer as it considers expanding protected classes within the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
‘In Praise of a Goddess’: Empowerment through information for Indian girls
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Global citizenship is a keystone of Macalester education and I, like many students here, strive to connect this idea of global citizenship to my academic endeavors and other engagements on campus. When I graduate, one thing is for certain: I want to leave a lasting impact on the global community and make the world a better place for those who are marginalized in our world. I hope to work in the area of global health in the future and am particularly interested in pursuing a career exploring the intersection between global health and women’s empowerment. I’ve been passionate about women’s empowerment for a very long time, and growing up partly in India only stoked that fervor. Continue Reading
New NAACP Labor Chair Tee McClenty is ready to fight for jobs
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Labor activist Tee McClenty, originally from Camden, New Jersey, has a long history of service and of representing labor interests. As she tells it, “I’ve been a labor activist for a very long time. I worked at a long-term care facility, where I was a union steward. My last 17 years I spent at a hospital in Maplewood, where I was a union steward representing members.
COMMUNITY VOICES | A joint response to Chue Feng Vang’s tragic death: Let’s find better solutions to end family violence
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No community is shielded from family violence. The most recent tragedy in Maplewood where Pang Vang killed his son Chue Feng Vang, affirms this. The Vang family fell through the cracks of the Hmong and American systems meant to serve them. We can’t afford to wait for the next tragedy.We believe one necessary ingredient to developing better solutions is for leaders, service providers, and systems to better understand the problem and the context of the people who are impacted.The media coverage and responses thus far to the tragedy of Chue Feng Vang’s death magnifies the misunderstanding of what contributes to family violence and how it is experienced in Hmong American families.The over simplification of a father who kills his son over a cable bill, and the quick finger pointing often silences the many Hmong families who are suffering. It also perpetuates a culture that New American communities are not and will not be understood by the larger society. Continue Reading
We don’t always know when we’re biased
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Most of the bias in our society operates without people being aware of their own bias. Continue Reading