MN VOICES | Steve Miles: Healing the sick and fighting the system

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At sixty, Dr. Steven Miles has spent a lifetime helping people. Whether it be improving end of life care, criticizing the use of restraints in nursing homes, improving refugee camp medicine, or researching the human rights violations performed by doctors at Abu Ghraib and other prisons during the war on terror, Miles has been drawn to help those who are otherwise neglected. 
Born in South Minneapolis, Miles moved to Minnetonka in grade school and eventually went to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In college, he wasn’t sure whether to attend the seminary or medical school and at the last minute decided to go to medical school at the University of Minnesota. “I loved it,” he said of his choice, “and I’ve never regretted it.” Continue Reading

Al Justiniano: Storyteller and bridge builder

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“The big joke is the math guy started the theater,” said Al Justiniano while reflecting on his role as artistic director/producer for Teatro del Pueblo.  (Video below) After earning a bachelor’s degree in math from the University of Minnesota, New York native Justiniano followed his artistic passion and enrolled in film school. He is credited with making several short films, but his major work is in theater. In 1992, he started Teatro del Pueblo, a Latino-based theater located on Saint Paul’s west side. Now, as Teatro prepares to host their ninth annual Political Theatre Festival, Justiniano took a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk about his love of the Minnesota, the arts and Teatro del Pueblo. D.P. How long have you lived in the Twin Cities?A.J. Since 1982. Continue Reading

Don Fraser: Closing the achievement gap in Minneapolis

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For more than 35 years, Don Fraser worked as a member of the Minnesota Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and Mayor of Minneapolis. Born in Minneapolis, Fraser was educated in the public school system and later at the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Law School.  Today, Fraser works with the Committee of the Achievement Gap, a project of the DFL Education Foundation, which was organized to study the educational achievement gap experienced by children from high-poverty areas, with a focus on the Twin Cities metropolitan area.  Last Thursday, Fraser sat down with me at this Minneapolis home to discuss a recent report by the Committee on a number of strategies for closing the achievement gap. The following are selections from our discussion. See the entire interview below or archived here and here.  David E. Kaplan: Over your distinguished career in public service and into retirement, you’ve long been an advocate for education.  Why education? Don Fraser: I think my interest in education, with the intensity I now bring to it, came in the middle of my mayoral term. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | J.D. Steele, crossing borders and fighting poverty through music

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J.D. Steele, of the Steeles renown, is crazy about kids. Specifically, he is almost maniacal in his commitment to empowering the disadvantaged youth of Africa. Which is a good thing, because God knows somebody needs to be. As Steele notes, there are, in this day and age, youngsters who subsist far below poverty. They do without electricity, without running water. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Syd Beane: “You learn organizing by doing organizing”

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Growing up at the height of the Civil Rights Movement inspired Syd Beane, 68, to become a community organizer/community developer and fight for Native Americans. For nearly 40 years he traversed the country advocating for Indians and others invisible to those in power. In 1993, Beane moved to Minnesota, ending an exile imposed on the Dakota 150 years ago. From his charming, rustic home in Plymouth, MN, Beane talked about his career, his beliefs and the struggles Native Americans face.Here is his distinctive Minnesota voice: (Scroll to bottom for audio and video) Planting the seeds for change I come from a family of reformists. My great grandfather and my great uncle were actually involved in forming the first national Indian organization. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Anne Long at Plymouth Christian Youth Center

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Anne Long has worked for the Plymouth Christian Youth Center in North Minneapolis since 1973, including the past decade as executive director. She lives seven blocks from the Center and has been a part of many initiatives over the years to improve the north side. The Center is a $3.7 million operation, including a contract alternative high school. The Center also owns and operates the Capri Theater, one of the latest efforts to improve educational opportunities for youth and revitalize the community. Long sat down and talked to Daily Planet reporter Scott Russell about her life, the Center and North Minneapolis. Continue Reading

MINNESOTA VOICES | Dr. Ghafar Lakanwal

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Dr. Ghafar Lakanwal is a native of Afghanistan, an ex-political asylee, a Muslim immigrant, a U.S. citizen, a victim of racism, and someone who fights against racism. Each facet of Lakanwal’s identity has impacted his life in a unique way, some facets more than others. “Why am I telling my story? To show that everybody has their story, whether they are people of color who were here a long time ago and were brought by force as slaves, original inhabitants of this country like the Native Americans, European Americans, or the new immigrants that are coming here now from everywhere,” says Dr. Lakanwal. Dr. Lakanwal is the founder and executive director of the MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC), a non-profit organization established in 1991 that aims to bridge cultural and racial gaps in the Twin Cities. Continue Reading

MINNESOTA VOICES | Ramón León connects business and justice

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Growing up working in a family-run furniture business in Mexico, Ramón León learned from his parents that social justice is paramount to running a good business. “If you have 10 employees, you are not just impacting 10 lives, you are impacting 10 families,” his parent told him. That lesson has been his guide as a Twin Cities business and community leader over the past couple of decades. León is the President and CEO of Latino Economic Development Center, a community development center that provides economic opportunities to Latinos in the state of Minnesota. León was also one of the founding board members of Mercado Central on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Continue Reading

MN VOICES | Jack Reuler and Mixed Blood Theater

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In the converted old firehouse that the Mixed Blood Theater calls home, audiences can see diverse ensembles collaborating for a common purpose: To perform high quality, socially conscious theater.  But much of Mixed Blood’s programming happens offstage. They also hold performances in schools, churches, offices, and juvenile detention centers. It’s all part of founder Jack Reuler’s vision that theater can effect powerful change when it is part of a collaborative, grassroots effort. Reuler’s activism earned him a recent nomination for the Facing Race Ambassador award, which honors those “who excel in creating opportunities for people of all races to understand the impact of racism.”I spoke with Reuler in a sunny rehearsal room at the Mixed Blood about his 33 years with Mixed Blood. I read that you were inspired to start the theater by MLK’s dream.  I was struck by your initiative to devote your life to enacting a part of that dream.  Can you tell me a little bit about how you started out? Continue Reading

Ken Porwoll: St. Paul barber with “a consistent and caring presence” honored by McKnight Foundation

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Ken Porwoll is 89 years old. Every week for the past 25 years he has gone downtown to cut hair for clients at Listening House, a day and evening shelter and community center that provides hospitality, practical assistance and counsel to people who are homeless, disadvantaged, or lonely. It is located in downtown St. Paul.A retired salesperson, Porwoll said in a telephone interview, that he first became interested in Listening House when he read a newspaper article. Curious, he stopped in to visit. Continue Reading