Author, Activist, Regent Emeritus Josie Johnson to Join Us
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SEPTEMBER 2020 Author, activist, Regent Emeritus Josie Johnson to join us “in conversation” Josie Johnson, EdD, chronicles her life as a civil rights fighter in her memoir, Hope in the Struggle, published by University of Minnesota Press in 2019. Much of her “gracious fighting” for civil rights (so characterized by Vice President Walter Mondale, among others) occurred in Minnesota. Her contributions are immeasurable. Civil rights icon Vernon Jordan has called her “the Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman of our time.” UMRA looks forward to welcoming Dr. Johnson and to being “in conversation” with her, as she likes to say, for our September 29 Forum at 12 noon via Zoom, to learn about her life, her legacy, and her hopes for the future of the civil rights struggle. Laura Bloomberg, dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, will introduce Dr. Johnson for this hour-long event to be held via Zoom webinar. In the 1960s, Johnson worked as a professional lobbyist for the passage of bills con- cerning discrimination in housing and employment. She served as acting director of the Minneapolis Urban League and was a Minneapolis mayoral aide during the African American unrest and challenges in 1968. Her memoir tells of the ways that white supremacy has impacted Black people in Minnesota. Systemic racial bias is clearly addressed. She is hopeful and a positive, inspiring leader. An important voice for the University Known to many UMRA members as “Josie,” she has had a long relationship with the University. She worked with other Black activists to create the Afro-American Studies Department (now the Department of African American & African Studies) and was one of its first faculty members. Appointed to the Board of Regents in 1971, she became an increasingly important voice for the University. She directed the All-University Forum and in 1992 was named associate vice president for minority affairs. In 1998, the University honored her lifelong work with the establishment of the Josie Robinson Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award. And in 2018, the Humphrey School established the Josie Robinson Johnson Fellowship to sup- port graduate students with interest in addressing racial inequities and injustice. In her memoir, Johnson recalls the racism, prejudice, and injustice she experienced growing up in Texas and the way she developed a sense of responsibility to change the system. Her parents graduated from a historically Black college near Houston. They were active in the community, and Johnson recalls going with her father to collect signatures in opposition to a poll tax. He worked as a waiter on the railroad. She earned a BA in sociology from Fisk University in Nashville and an MA and EdD from the University of Massachusetts–Amhurst. UMRA A.M. UMRA is proud that Josie Johnson received a 2016–17 Professional Development debuts September 8. See page 3. Grants for Retirees award to support the publication of her memoir. Please register so you don’t miss this very special forum. —Janice Hogan-Schiltgen, member, UMRA Grants Committee From the President Why we support Looking forward to our new year the U of M Greetings in the new year for UMRA. Actually, UMRA never stopped meeting during the summer months. “Guiding students’ What did change is that all our meetings are now Zoom studies and careers is based. And that will continue at least through the end an awesome privilege of 2020. There will be a reassess- and a passion of ours. ment in the late fall. A survey of The University of our membership was undertaken Minnesota Foundation in May. The respondents strongly Frank Busta offers us an opportunity favored not meeting in person Professor and again until COVID-19 cases and Director Emeritus to extend this with our deaths are trending downward Jean Kinsey current and legacy gifts.” and there is a vaccine or curative Professor and Director Emerita For questions about giving to the medication available. U of M, contact Lynn Praska at [email protected] or (612) 624-4158, I wish to give a special thanks to Bill Donohue, who or visit give.umn.edu/waystogive has served as UMRA president for the last year. He has exceptional talent as a leader and mentor and is dedicat- ed to the continued success of UMRA. I look forward to working with him as past-president. Thank you, Bill. The Program Committee, chaired by President-elect Jan Morlock, and the Workshop Committee, under the lead- ership of Ron Matross, are planning UMRA’s upcoming 2020-21 UMRA Board of Directors forums and workshops. Forums will be held on the sec- Board members are elected to three-year terms and may ond and fourth Tuesdays of the month, and workshops serve two consecutive terms. All officers serve one-year on the third Tuesday. The schedule of upcoming forums terms; the previous year’s president-elect automatically and workshops and list of UMRA personnel for 2020–21 becomes president; the secretary and treasurer may be can be found on the UMRA website. reelected annually. New officers and board members elected to new terms are in boldface. Fiscal challenges Given the fiscal challenges confronting the University, Frank Cerra, president funding from the University for the Professional Jan Morlock, president-elect Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program Gary Engstrand, secretary has gone into limbo. During this time, however, the Gregory Hestness, treasurer program, launched by UMRA in 2009 [see “Impact of Bill Donohue, immediate past president PDGR program” on page 8], will continue under the leadership of UMRA member John Bantle, MD. Vernon Cardwell Claudia Parliament Will Craig Chip Peterson* We are also working with the University of Minnesota Cathy Lee Gierke Donna Peterson* Foundation to institute a fundraising campaign to Cherie Y. Hamilton Jerry Rinehart* support UMRA’s PDGR fund at the Foundation. [See Eric Hockert Barb Shiels “UMRA launches crowdfunding campaign” on page 10.] Ron Matross KaiMay Terry Jan McCulloch Cathrine Wambach As president for this year, I look forward to working with you and hope you will contact me with your concerns * Former past president may serve up to three additional and suggestions. years, provided such an extension will not exceed the limit of two consecutive three-year terms. —Frank Cerra, UMRA president 2 UMRA News • UMRA.UMN.EDU UMRA A.M. About UMRA A.M. Dealing with history UMRA is adding a monthly, coffee-time forum this fall on the second Tuesday of each month. UMRA Living vergangenheitsbewältigung Will become the next German Well workshops will continue, on the third Tuesday of loanword in American English? It means “working the month, as will our monthly noontime forums on the through the past,” and it will be the topic for discussion fourth Tuesday of the month, all via Zoom. when we welcome guest speaker Henning Schroeder, PhD, director of international programs in the College —Jan Morlock, president-elect and chair, of Pharmacy and a professor in the Department of Program Committee Pharmaceutics, for UMRA’s first morning forum at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, via Zoom. “In my home country, Germany, the ‘national story’ is SEPTEMBER 15 WORKSHOP anything but linear and has none of America’s fairytale qualities of exceptionalism,” Protecting your online presence says Schroeder. “The Iron Are you concerned about the safety of your digital data? Curtain is long gone but has If not, you should be. The world is awash with people a lingering effect on people’s who want your data—and want to do bad things with it. minds—just like the Mason- As we spend more time online during the pandemic, the Dixon line. Working through threats have only intensified. the past is an ongoing project On Tuesday, September 15, at 11 a.m. via Zoom, UMRA in Germany and has often will present a Living Well Workshop on cyber security. been as controversial as it is This one-hour presentation will provide an overview of in the U.S. right now.” cyber threats and best practices for protecting ourselves Schroeder is a former vice from them. provost and dean of graduate education at the University Be sure to register for our first fall workshop. of Minnesota. In addition to his current roles in the College of Pharmacy, he is also an affiliate professor in The topics covered will include how to protect yourself the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch. from fraudulent email scams, malware, ransomware, and malicious websites; what two-factor authentication is and He grew up in West Germany in the 1960s and 1970s why you should use it; how to create and manage strong and received his doctorate in pharmacology from passwords; other safe computing tips, and where to find Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. After a post- additional resources online. doctoral fellowship at Stanford University and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, he returned to Europe and Our presenter, Jenny Blaine, is a security analyst with joined the faculty at Martin Luther University Halle- University Information Security. She has worked in Wittenberg in former East Germany. information security for more than 11 years and is a member of the University’s Schroeder has been living in Minnesota since 2007 and security incident response recently wrote two articles on the resurgence of nation- team. Using tools for e-dis- alism in the United States and Europe: “When all the covery, log analysis, and heroes have fallen: Lessons from Germany,” published by memory forensics, Blaine the Star Tribune, and “Can you return a gift from your works with law enforce- Founding Father? (It’s been done in Germany),” pub- ment, the Office of Internal lished by The Society Pages.