MN VOICES | Rosa Tock finds “sense that working together, we can achieve things” in Minnesota

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For Rosa Tock, a first-generation immigrant from Guatemala, the sense of possibility is what impresses her most about Minnesota.  “In Minnesota, I have that sense of possibility that things can be done,” Tock said, “There is always the sense that working together, we can achieve things. That sense of possibility is one thing that really makes me feel at home.”Tock first came to Minnesota on a Fulbright Scholarship to finish her Master’s Degree in Public Policy at the University of Minnesota. As part of the program, Tock was required to go back to Guatemala for at least two years after graduating.However, her husband was still in Minnesota, so she eventually made her way back, drawn to the possibilities that the state offered. Tock started out as a human rights investigator with the City of Saint Paul, looking at incidents of potential discrimination. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Betty Ellison-Harpole: Teaching beyond the recipe, living outside the box

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Betty Ellison-Harpole moved to the Midwest in the 1950s from segregated Memphis, Tennessee. For 37 years Betty taught kindergarten through third grade, as one of few African American teachers in Minneapolis schools. She piloted the city’s first all-day kindergarten class at Bethune school in the early 1980s. Although she’s retired now, Betty is still active in education circles, and age has not diminished her personality. If you give her the opportunity, she will talk to you for hours about early education, Minneapolis politics, and growing up poor and African American in the South. Continue Reading

Peggy Flanagan’s health care reform question: “Is my mom going to be able to get the care that she needs?”

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For 33-year-old Peggy Flanagan, health care policy is “super personal.” About a decade ago, Flanagan’s mom had to go on social security disability because her pain was so bad. With her fibromyalgia, she could no longer perform the tasks that she needed to do for her job. “That was really hard, because my mom really defined herself through her work,” Flanagan said. “That was her identity – someone who got up at the crack of dawn and worked late into the night. Just to not be able to have that has been really hard on her.”Care for people. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | “I’m Ellen, the nurse”

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I was in a hurry. I didn’t want to be delayed but the old man looked so desperate that I still stopped to listen. The old man told me that he was a Marine. He showed me his Veteran ID proudly, but then he said that he had broken his finger. He had no health insurance and asked me for money to get his finger fixed.I was on my way to meet Ellen Lafans, also known as “Ellen, the Nurse,” who is fighting for single payer universal health care coverage.I thought, “This has to be destiny,” that I experienced the complicated health situation first-hand on the day I would meet a woman who thinks that health care is a human right.In her own wordsby Ellen LaFansHere are the facts. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Gada Roba: From refugee and runaway to honored community leader

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The teenager would not get out of Gada Roba’s car. He had seen the people drinking as they waited outside the homeless shelter. The youth was Muslim and had never been around people who were drinking. Threatened at home, the immigrant student had approached his teacher, Roba for help. But he was too frightened to stay at the shelter and insisted Roba drop him off on Lake Street. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | From Cultural Conflict To Regional War in Minnesota (1862)

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On a beautiful and sunny Saturday afternoon on September 15th, the Minneapolis Central Library invited artist and historian Scott Seekins to display and discuss his latest work in response to cultural and religious aspects of the 1862 Dakota War. This presentation helped to promote a challenging view of the government policies, practices, and behavior of religious organizations through the artwork and media releases, such as Governor Ramsey’s public attempt at Genocide against Native Americans in Minnesota. The main presentation and description of this ‘theme’ in his art was insightful and helped this author explore more detailed facts of the racism and hostile causes of this inevitable and tragic war. As we take time to ‘celebrate diversity’ after more than 150 years of Statehood we are reminded of our continual struggles for unity still happening today in “A very polarized city” (Scott Seekins). As I spoke with the artist, my own ignorance of Little Crow, The Concentration/Prison Camp at Fort Snelling, Native American “War-Brides” and other facts became more and more evident. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Susan Hubbard — beyond the Eureka decade, still working for zero waste in the Twin Cities

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Fast-talking and intense, Susan Hubbard is a great interview: she has a lot to say and lots of facts and citations to back it up. Hard work and intensity go way back: while majoring in journalism in her hometown Oswego State University, she went to work for the local newspaper, sold ads, wrote stories, and also managed a coffeehouse.I talked to Hubbard a few weeks ago. She left her position as CEO of Eureka Recycling (“I put a ten-year limit on CEO-ness and started the transition two years ago and it went smoothly.”) a couple of months ago and is trying to “breathe a little bit” as she looks around for her next move.TCDP: So what’s this about living in a garage and working for a newspaper?Hubbard: When I was in school, I didn’t have a lot of money. So there was a — they had kind of turned this garage into a unit. It had a sink and stuff, but no heating system. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Kate Knuth leaves legislature, stays with commitment to environment

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State Representative Kate Knuth is concerned about over-politicization of environmental issues facing Minnesotans. While she is leaving the legislature, she plans to continue serving the state, especially in the field of environmental policy.After three terms as state representative for District 50B, Kate Knuth announced February 29 that she would not seek a fourth term. Instead, she will complete her Ph. D in Conservation Biology and continue as coordinator of the Boreas Leadership Program at Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota.For Knuth, her decision to serve in the legislature was an expected contribution to society. Her father and uncle served in the state House and her mother served as a public school superintendent. Continue Reading

BBB Warns against Insurance Deductible Rebates from Contractors

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When severe thunderstorms roll through the area, many homeowners find themselves calling their insurance companies to determine if damage to their homes is covered by their homeowners’ policies. The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) wants to make sure Minnesota homeowners are aware of a rule in place to protect them when they begin the process of finding a contract Continue Reading