Indigenous People’s Day becomes a reality in Saint Paul

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Since 1937, Columbus Day has been recognized as a national holiday. On August 12th, St. Paul becomes the sixth city in the United States to swap that holiday for Indigenous People’s Day. This marks the beginning of a hard fought effort to heal a deep wound at the heart of this nation. The resolution was sponsored by Ward One Council member Dai Thao and sailed through council chambers on a seven-zero vote. Members of the Native American community and the Saint Paul Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission drafted the original document. Continue Reading

Bernie Sanders makes his first campaign appearance in Minnesota

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It’s no secret that most of the heavy-hitters in the DFL are already pledged to Ms. Clinton. So who were the people who turned up to hear and cheer for Bernie Sanders? Generationally, they appeared to be a diverse crowd, ranging from 18 to 80-plus. The crowd was noticeably less diverse with perhaps 5 to 10% people of color. Primer on Bernie Sanders: He’s 73 and has been the junior Senator from Vermont since 2007. Continue Reading

Transit time hinders upward mobility

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Community members, along with leadership from Neighbors Organizing for Change (NOC), Take Action Minnesota, ISAIAH, and several State representatives presented the report It’s About Time: The Transit Time Penalty and Its Racial Implications, which was written by The Center for Popular Democracy, along with additional assistance from local partners. It highlights the racial disparities in the transit system and adds that extra time spent on commuting actually hinders people’s ability to lift themselves out of poverty. Anthony Newby, the executive director of Neighbors Organizing for Change, cited, “the need for more and better funding to get to the heart of racial disparity in transit.” All public transit users spend more time than drivers on their commute alone, but black and Latino transit users spend the equivalent of 3.5 weeks of work more than white drivers on their commute. A May 7th New York Times article reported that commuting time is the single strongest factor that changes the odds of escaping poverty. Continue Reading

OPINION | Shut up and work: The question of free speech on the job

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“Discussing political views is not advisable.” This 1905 rule for Iowa teachers apparently also applies to Delta Air Lines workers in 2014. The Story County, Iowa, teaching contract was explicit in saying teachers should not talk politics — or loiter in ice cream parlors, play cards, dance, or indulge in “undue use of cosmetics.” While the code of conduct for teachers seems antiquated and laughable, the continuing right of employers to control workers’ speech and conduct, on and off the job, is no laughing matter. On Dec. Continue Reading

It’s a wonderful life: Jeffers detects gubernatorial ambitions in Tom Bakk’s food shelf fundraiser

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Call it Scrooge meets Frank Underwood. In a headnote to a Facebook sharing of Bakk event raises $100,000 for northeastern Minnesota food shelves, a MinnPost article based on a Hunger Solutions’s press release, radio talk show host and 2006 Republican gubernatorial challenger Sue Jeffers discerned gubernatorial ambitions in Minnesota Senate Majority leader Tom Bakk’s hosting of a fundraiser for Arrowhead Region foodshelves:
Sounds like something a guy who might be interested in running for governor might do huh? Here’s a screenshot:

This article is reposted from TCDP media partner Bluestem Prairie. Check out the links below for other recent Bluestem Prairie stories:

Full-page CPL anti-trans ad also published in Duluth, Mankato, St.Cloud & Winona dailies
Jeff Backer’s campaign posts Big Stone Co GOP chair resignation news release without comment

A Brief History of the Fundraiser

Bakk, who has sponsored the fundraiser for eight years, first announced in 2008 that he was seeking the 2010 DFL endorsement for governor. He withdrew from the contest in March 2010. Continue Reading