JUNE IS BLACK MUSIC MONTH Photo: Warners Brothers
Insight News June 20 - June 26, 2016
Vol. 43 No. 25 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Andrea Jenkins Honored at White House: Thinking about Orlando By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor Like most of us Andrea Jenkins is still trying to wrap her mind around the events that transpired this past week in Orlando. Unlike most of us, Jenkins is on the front lines confronting issues of access, acceptance and safety for LGBT individuals. It is that front line work that garnered Jenkins – an author, poet and oral historian – a trip earlier this month to the White House. It is also that work that has Jenkins keenly aware of the dangers of being an openly out transgender woman. “This year there have been 13 trans women of color murdered in the U.S.,” said Jenkins. “And we don’t even know about (the number in) Orlando yet.” The Orlando Jenkins is
referring to is the one that saw 49 people killed and 53 injured – many of them people of color – in a Sunday (June 12) morning massacre at a gay nightclub. According to Jenkins, within the past year and a half members of the LGBT community have experienced tremendous backlash for their advancements. The transgender community in particular has been the focus of media attention with the very public transformation of reality television personality and former Olympic hero, Caitlyn Jenner. Jenkins completed her transformation nearly 22 years ago and within that time she said she has seen positive change in laws and attitudes towards LGBT individuals. At the same time the activist who has appeared on MSNBC and who has been featured in the Huffington Post
The official invitation Andrea Jenkins received from the White House inviting her to be a part of President Obama’s celebration of LGBT Pride Month.
PRIDE TURN TO 9
Cuba-bound
Photos courtesy of Andrea Jenkins
Transgender author, poet and oral historian Andrea Jenkins (right) and her partner, Mire Regulus at the White House during a reception to recognize LGBT Pride Month.
Sun County will connect Twin Cities, Cuba
Bianca Dawkins
Outrage follows as white WASHINGTON – Now Obama announced that it was the signing, the administration each country has the opportunity boarding, Minneapolis/St. Paul time to ‘begin a new journey’ announced that scheduled service to operate up to 10 daily stylist berates Black roundtrip flights between the with the Cuban people,” said would begin later in 2016. to … Cuba. The carriers receiving the U.S. and each of Cuba’s nine As part of the Obama U.S. Transportation Secretary woman for her natural hair Administration’s efforts to Anthony Foxx. “Today, we are awards are Twin Cities based international airports, other than normalize relations with Cuba, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has approved six domestic airlines to begin scheduled flights to Cuba and Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) is one of five airports offering direct flights along with Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago and Philadelphia. Travel is expected to begin as early as this fall. “Last year, President
delivering on his promise by relaunching scheduled air service to Cuba after more than half a century.” On Feb. 16, Secretary Foxx and Department of State Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin signed a non-legally-binding arrangement to re-establish scheduled air service between the two countries. At the time of
Sun Country Airlines, along with American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways and Southwest Airlines. The nine Cuban cities passengers can fly to are Camagüey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba. Under the new arrangement,
Havana, for a total of 90 daily roundtrips. Longer term, the arrangement also provides for up to 20 daily roundtrip flights between the U.S. and Havana. Collectively, U.S. carriers have requested nearly 60 flights per day to Havana, thus requiring DOT to select from among the proposals. A decision on the Havana routes will be announced later this summer.
By Harry Colbert, Jr. Managing Editor All Bianca Dawkins wanted to do was feel beautiful; instead she said she was shamed and degraded by a stylist at Denny Kemp Salon and Spa in Northeast Minneapolis.
For Kemp’s part, he admitted serious mistakes were made and he said all he wants to do is make things right; not because of the negative attention, but for how a stylist at his salon made Dawkins feel.
SALON TURN TO 5
Forty-nine killed in Orlando nightclub shooting: One of the worst shootings in U.S. history By Kevin Seraaj Orlando Advocate
Omar Mateen
Myspace
ORLANDO, Fla., June 13 – Forty-nine people have been killed by a lone gunman in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. The assailant, now identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, is a U.S. citizen with Afghan origins. He walked into the Pulse nightclub sometime between late Saturday and early Sunday
morning with a handgun and an assault-style weapon and opened fire. In addition to the 49 dead, more than 50 others were injured by the gunman – many seriously. Mateen’s father, an Afghan native, reportedly told journalists from Al-Jazeera that Mateen had recently seen two gay men kissing and become angered by it. The Pulse nightclub is a wellknown LGBT nightclub and bar. According to Orlando Police Chief John Mina, the shooting started at about 2 a.m. A police
officer working at the nightclub responded when he heard the gunshots ring out, and he and Mateen exchanged fire. Mateen forced the officer outside the building, then returned inside, where more shots were fired and a hostage situation developed. The nightclub was crowded with more than 300 people inside. It’s not clear what caused Mateen to stop shooting. Police made the decision to enter the building around 5 a.m. to avoid any further loss of life.
“Multiple officers from various agencies responded,” said Mina. “SWAT team responded. At approximately 0500 hours this morning (Sunday), the decision was made to rescue hostages that were in there.” Original reports of the shooting indicated that as many as 20 people had been shot and killed, but as time went on, the actual extent of the horror
ORLANDO TURN TO 9
Commentary
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Community fundraising success: $55 million new senior residence and center
Orlando Shootings
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