Three facts in a U.S. surgeon general report should be enough to accentuate the profound impact that dental problems have on poor children in the United States:
Low-income children lose about 51 million school hours each year to dental-related illness.
About 37 percent of low-income children have one or more untreated decayed teeth, compared with 17.3 percent of their more affluent counterparts.
Because of dental problems, low-income children have 12 times more restricted-activity days than higher-income children do.
With the November election days away, many Minneapolis residents are wondering which candidates to support for the open spots on the city’s school board.
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
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
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
My, how time flies! We’ve had a gorgeous fall, with sustained colors and above average temps. Now here we are at the cusp of November, which brings cooler weather and the close of TC Weekend for the year. The good times will roll on, however, with seasonal/holiday events and arts coverage!Naturally, this weekend’s roster is heavy with Halloween and Dia de los Muertos happenings, and a few other fun events sprinkled in for good measure. In the midst of all the spooky revelry this weekend – don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour (2 am on Sunday) for Daylight Savings Time! Let us know of great upcoming events by adding it to our calendar or send an email to tcweekend@tcdailyplanet.net.See: Creeps, crawls, candy and more: Halloween highlights in the Twin Cities for more Halloween events! Free the Beast, Oct. Continue Reading
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
Fun, exciting and historical: Those are three words to describe the restoration and reopening of the Cookie Cart. As previously stated, the Cookie Cart has a long history in the connected community of North Minneapolis. On Sept. 18, the Cookie Cart reopened its door after several months of restructuring.
Hamline Chapter of the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) wants to make voting less intimidating for those who have never voted before. The non-partisan organization works on informing and registering college students for Election Day.“In reality, all elections are important. It seems that people think that if we aren’t electing the president that means whatever is on the ballot isn’t going to affect them. That isn’t true at all!” said Lizy Busta, a second year at Hamline University and MPIRG co-chair.This election season, the state of Minnesota is voting for Governor, State House Representative, U.S. House Representative, U.S. Senator, Attorney General and school board members.“All of these people on the ballot have a huge impact on our state, so it’s important to go and vote for who you think will benefit Minnesota,” said Busta. “The President of the United States isn’t the only person that works in the government and it’s important for people to realize that.”In order to help inform college students MPIRG is hosting Voter Awareness Series, with several of this year’s candidates. Continue Reading
