HISTORIC Irene Fernando Is One of the First WINS Hennepin County Commissioners of Color to Sit on the Board in Its 150 Year History Page 22
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NORTHNovember 29, 2018 • Serving the neighborhoods of NorthNEWS Minneapolis • www.mynorthnews.org ALSO INSIDE Remembering Donise White Page 21 Your guide to shopping local for the holidays Page 7 Irene Fernando celebrates her election night win with two of her supporters. HISTORIC Irene Fernando is one of the first WINS Hennepin County Commissioners of color to sit on the board in its 150 year history Page 22 Your 2018 midterm election rundown Page 11 2 • North News • November 29, 2018 NORTHnews by and so many of us become de- surrounded by dreamers. Dreamers vestment can be overcome, that resil- tached from the people and cultures like the folks that make up Pillsbury iency will win, that new ways of exist- they came from in the first place. This United Communities’ leadership team ing less violently together as humans time of year, I question my relation- who invited truth-teller Shaun King to will manifest in our lifetimes. Houston ship with the Thanksgiving story. As be the organization’s annual fundrais- is still dreaming and has created a my family celebrates the holiday with er’s keynote speaker (Page 16). scholarship fund in his wife's name. a feast, football, and a turkey trot, it’s Dreamers like many of our new elect- Read about it on Page 21. easy to sideline the stories our cele- ed officials, who are bringing under— As this holiday season continues, I’ll Letter from the Editor brations stem from and become com- and never—represented identities be enjoying time with my family, in- plicit in erasing our country's history and new ideas to positions of power. terrogating the stories we perpetuate Welcome to the December edition of of genocide as we celebrate a false- Read more about Kimberly Caprini, through our celebrations, grieving the North News. ly reductive story about indigenous Irene Fernando, Fue Lee, Raymond losses of this year, and feeling hope- Earlier this month, I had breakfast Americans and European settlers Dehn, Keith Ellison, Ilhan Omar, and ful about where our emergent lead- with Macalester College Professor peacefully sharing a meal together. others who won transformational rac- ers will take us in our next journey Mahmoud El-Kati at Avenue Eatery. Dr. El-Kati also shared with me his es on Nov. 6 on Page 11. around the sun (and the journalism Over bacon and egg sandwiches, he devotion to destroying the story of It was with great sadness that I wrote we'll get to create about them!). Dr. told me how he is fixated on the idea race, and he explained how Albert about two of the Northside’s most in- El-Kati says he would never want to of race as a pervasive myth, as an Einstein is an important figure to think fluential and inspirational dreamers— live in any time but this one. He says idea that continues to infect our so- about in that context. Einstein, El-Kati Houston and Donise White. In early it doesn't do much good to be any- cieties despite its unscientific origins. explained, understood how imagina- November, Donise transitioned after thing but optimistic. I agree. He explained how he thinks about tion is often superior to intelligence— battling an illness that took her life. Stay warm out there, racism as zealotry, as a harmful story how the future tends to be architect- Together Donise and Houston cre- ed by those who imagine new stories ated HWMR, an incubator for new Kenzie O'Keefe that is as powerful as religion. Editor/Publisher, North News I think a lot about the harm that wide- and dream us creatively into entirely narratives about black folks and the new paradigms. Northside—the kind of stories that [email protected] ly told and rarely interrogated stories 651-245-2647 can do, especially when decades go This month I’ve felt thankful to be make you believe that chronic disin- NORTH NEWS 2018 Issue #11 Circulation: 10,000 in North Minneapolis. Delivered free on a monthly basis to public places and some homes in Near North and Camden. 125 West Broadway Ave. Suite 130, Minneapolis, MN 55411 (612) 343-4300 // PARTYVALUE.COM Phone: 651-245-2647 Website: www.mynorthnews.org Kenzie O’Keefe HOLIDAY PARTY NEW YEARS Editor/Publisher/Advertising Cirien Saadeh SUPPLIES PARTY Staff Reporter Daija Triplett SUPPLIES Intern INSIDE OUR “O” Emily Ronning Graphic Designer Anya Johanna DeNiro Copy Editor Happy David Pierini Freelance Photographer North News is produced in part by our journalism class holidays from at North High, taught in partnership with Sam Wilbur. Additional support is provided by The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota. TABLEWARE, GIFT WRAP, PARTY KITS, Story ideas and letters to the editor are always all of us here DECORATIONS, WEARABLES, BALLOONS + MORE welcome. Unsigned letters will not be run. If you want North News on your doorstep NOW, subscribe for $30 per year. Email [email protected] or call 651- 245-2647 to sign up. at NORTH Next issue delivered: December 20, 2018 We’ve 913 PLYMOUTH AVE N. North News is an enterprise of NEWS. moved! MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55411 FREE PARKING NORTHnews November 29, 2018 • North News • 3 North Minneapolis at a glance WCNO moves forward with new board members Veterans honored at flagpole on Armistice Day At its annual meeting on Nov. 8, Webber Camden community members elected many new board mem- A few hundred people gathered at Victory Memorial in North Minneapolis Sunday for a Veteran’s Day bers to their neighborhood organization after months of controversy and tension. Board members are: ceremony that marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Dignitaries looks turns speaking at Ebani Butler, Casey Fritz, Anna Gerdeen, Leslie Grilley, Johnnie Johnson, Nina Robertson, Pat Suhrbier, the podium and the crowd was visibly moved by the vocals of gospel singer Robert Robinson, who sang Lisa Totushek, Houston White, and Robin Lewis. Both the mayor and Ward 4 Councilmember Phillipe three songs, including the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "God Bless America." A group of Junior Cunningham attended the meeting. Cunningham praised attendees for participating in healthy democra- ROTC cadets from the General Colin L. Powell Leadership Academy presented the colors and an honor cy at the local level. "It's been amazing to watch that happen and be part of it," he told the crowd. guard from VFW Post 494 fired three volleys to honor those who lost their lives serving their country. Photo by Kenzie O'Keefe Following a moment of silence, a C-130 H3 transport plane flew over the flag flying over Victory Memorial Plaza to conclude the event. See more photos from the event by David Pierini on Page 4. Lead and asthma remediation City of Minneapolis seeks public Interviews were held in Nov. 2018; by 2024: one a few blocks away from dollars to be spent in North comment on 2019 budget an announcement announcing the its current location and another near new superintendent is expected to be Hawthorne Crossings. The Northern Metals Advisory Council The City of Minneapolis’ final public made in late Nov. or mid-Dec. 2018. met Nov. 19 to discuss environmental hearing seeking public comment on The MPRB Superintendent provides Upper Harbor Terminal survey justice issues and over $500,000 in the 2019 budget is scheduled for Dec. day-to-day leadership for the 6,811- results now available remedy funds secured for the commu- 5 at 6:05pm at Minneapolis City Hall. acre park system. MPRB has also ex- Minneapolis Parks & Recreation nity for asthma and lead remediation. Comments can also be submitted on- tended its contract with Interim Super- Board (MPRB), as well as the City of According to Roxxanne O’Brien, a line at http://www.minneapolismn.gov/ intendent Mary Merrill through the end Minneapolis, and other project plan- community and environmental justice budget/budget-comments. The may- of 2018. organizer, the meeting was a great or’s recommended city budget is $1.6 ners are currently compiling the re- success as the advisory council de- billion. Other public hearings were CM Ellison leads talks around sults of survey recently released on the future of the Upper Harbor Ter- cided to use the funds to connect di- held in Nov. 2018. moving MPD 4th Precinct rectly with community through schools minal. 259 people responded to the (and school nurses) as well as clinics. Minneapolis Park Board names According to a Star Tribune article, Min- survey. Organized survey results will The advisory council hopes to work Superintendent finalists neapolis City Councilmember Jeremi- be shared with the community in with families, educating them about ah Ellison (Ward 5) is in discussions late-Nov. or early-Dec. 2018. MPRB lead and asthma issues, as well as The Minneapolis Parks and Recre- with city staff about the possibility of will be asked to approve a “minimum the environmental justice organizing ation Board has named its finalists in moving the Minneapolis Police Depart- park boundary” and the Minneapolis happening around Northern Metals. its search for the next MPRB superin- ment’s 4th Precinct in an effort to spur City Council will be asked to consider Those suffering from asthma or lead tendent. The finalists are Alfred Kent economic growth on the Northside. — and approve — the updated con- issues can contact O’Brien at 612-434- Bangoura, the Recreation Superinten- The proposal, which was co-written by cept plan in early 2019, tentatively. To 8868 or [email protected]. dent for Mecklenburg County Park former city council candidate Ian Al- view survey results, check out: http:// The advisory council is also seeking and Recreation in Charlotte, North exander, has long been quiet, accord- upperharbormpls.com/wp-content/ partnerships with clinics and schools Carolina, and Subhajeet Seve Ghose, ing to the Star Tribune, but if it goes uploads/2018/10/2018-10-21_UHTSur- to discuss asthma and lead remedies.