Out from the Shadows of Minneapolis Out from the Shadows of Minneapolis Power, Pride, and Perseverance at a Northern Community College co-edited by Dr. Jay M. Williams and Alison Bergblom Johnson Esther Callahan, Assistant Editor Charles H. Watson, III, Contributing Faculty Minneapolis College, the most selected higher education destination of students from all Minneapolis Public High Schools, is located downtown, nestled between the hustle of Hennepin Avenue and the green spaces of Loring Park. As a part of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities, Minneapolis College most serves those students who are least likely to go to college. With three-quarters of the student body composed of those underrepresented in higher education, the hallways are filled with recent immigrants, those seeking to learn English, members of communities with the highest unemployment and incarceration rates in the state, veterans, those of low socioeconomic status, seekers of diversity, and those who wish to serve them. Collected here are their stories, stories of overcoming, coming up, perseverance, pride, and power in the face of depressed opportunity and systemic oppression. Dedication We dedicate Out From the Shadows of Minneapolis to the loving memory of Kirk Washington, Jr. (aka Bro Sun), and to the members, volunteers, contractors, and staff involved in any era of the African American Education Empowerment program (AME). This text is testament to Kirk’s unending uplift of all those with whom he shared space on this planet. This text is dedicated to the unyielding voice of AME, whether whispering or hoarsely hollering, different words but a unified sentiment, survive, persist, and never let the absurdity of being black or otherwise left out in Minnesota break you. As much as a literary anthology, the Out From the Shadows Book Project represents community organizing in pursuit of promoting first voice, a snapshot in time and place. Many of the stories included violate both literary and narrative norms. Including them in the form the authors’ preferred privileges authenticity and agency over convention. At times, this formulation might challenge readers, but there is power and value in first voice that demonstrates the world view of people whose narratives are often excluded. We invite you to enter this text emotionally as well as intellectually. Except where otherwise noted, Out from the Shadows of Minneapolis: Power, Pride, and Perseverance at a Northern Community College edited by Jay M. Williams and Alison Bergblom Johnson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode license. Introduction by Shannon Gibney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Home Port by Marcallina James is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International CC BY-SA license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode Rebuild this Foundation © Robert Gundy 2019 all rights reserved Las Espinas de mi Rosa by M. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode Sunshine's Table by Michael Elliott is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode Following my Father’s Courage by Betty Yang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode The Man of the House by Ivery Lue Baynham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Paraphernalia by Teresa Kontney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode To Be Continued by Susie Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode Dreaming in Color by Ikraan Abdurahman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode vi The Plaintiff Charges the State of Minnesota Educational System for the Murder of Marcellus Davis by Marcellus Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Book Bound Life by Diana Silver is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode A Story of Honor by Honor Lamont and Matthew Palombo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode The Last Time I Saw my Father by Avelino Mills-Novoa is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Dyslexia disforia by Alyssamarie Hanson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode An American Story in White, Black, and Red by Nanette Missaghi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode My Walk: Addiction and Return to Community by Marie A. Harris is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Vagabond Wonders: This Life’s Chapter of Swirl and Gratitude by Dr. Charles H. Watson, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Out With the Old, In With the New by LaKeshia E. Vance-Wilkerson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Students with Asterisks by Jay M. Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/legalcode vii How I Got Out of Prison by Marc Martin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Unveil your Fear by Yvette Trotman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode Evolution of a Jewel by Jewlene Bellamy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode 2015: The Year I Discovered I was Black by Sarah Jean Sharp is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode The Northern Lights by Bobbi Pratt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode The Struggle to Get to My American Dream by Thi Nguyen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license. https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Seven Generations by Tia Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND license.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ legalcode Editor's Note by Jay M. Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 4.0 International CC BY-ND license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/legalcode viii Contents Introduction by Shannon Gibney 11 Part 1 Power 16 Home Port by Marcallina James 17 Rebuild this Foundation by Robert Gundy 27 Las Espinas de mi Rosa by M. 33 Part 2 Pride 42 Sunshine's Table by Michael Elliott 43 Following my Father’s Courage by Betty Yang 60 Part 3 Perseverance 67 The Man of the House by Ivery Lue Baynham 68 Paraphernalia by Teresa Kontney 78 To Be Continued by Susie Brown 87 Part 4 Power 100 Dreaming in Color by Ikraan Abdurahman 101 The Plaintiff Charges the State of Minnesota Educational System for the Murder of Marcellus Davis by Marcellus Davis 113 Book Bound Life by Diana Silver 125 A Story of Honor by Honor Lamont and Matthew Palombo 134 Part 5 Pride 141 The Last Time I Saw my Father by Avelino Mills-Novoa 142 Dyslexia disforia by Alyssamarie Hanson 150 An American Story in White, Black, and Red by Nanette Missaghi 159 Part 6 Perseverance 168 My Walk: Addiction and Return to Community by Marie A. Harris 169 Vagabond Wonders: This Life’s Chapter of Swirl and Gratitude by Charles H. Watson, III 180 Out With the Old, In With the New by LaKeshia E. Vance-Wilkerson 191 Part 7 Power 201 Students with Asterisks by Jay M. Williams, PhD 202 Decolonizing the Classroom: Step 1 by Michael Seward 237 How I Got Out of Prison by Marc Martin 245 Unveil your Fear by Yvette Trotman 251 Part 8 Pride 259 Evolution of a Jewel by Jewlene Bellamy 260 2015: The Year I Discovered I was Black by Sarah Jean Sharp 267 Part 9 Perseverance 276 ix The Northern Lights by Bobbi Pratt 277 The Struggle to Get to My American Dream by Thi Nguyen 283 Seven Generations by Tia Williams 292 Editor's Note by Jay M.