Insight ::: 11.03.2025

Purple Rain Returns Home

Prince’s Spirit Lives on in Minneapolis

By Pulane Choane Contributing Writer

and music and lyrics by Prince, with music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb and choreography by Emmy

Award winner Ebony Williams. Longtime Prince collaborators Bobby Z and Morris Hayes join the creative team as Prince Music Advisors. In a recent recording of The Conversation with Al McFarlane, the director and writer discussed

Award-Winning Creative Team Behind Purple Rain

By Pulane Choane Contributing Writer

When the lights fade and the stage glows purple, it feels like a homecoming. In Minneapolis, the city that shaped and was shaped by Prince, the magic of Purple Rain™ has returned. The story that once electrified movie screens is now alive on stage at the State Theatre, pulsing with fresh energy and devotion. At the heart of this pre-Broadway production are Ebony Williams, an Emmy Award-winning choreographer known for her bold, emotive storytelling through dance, and Jason Michael Webb, a Tony Award-winning music supervisor celebrated for his mastery of live orchestration and soul-rooted sound. Together, they are the creative pulse behind this revival, both translating Prince’s genius into a living, breathing stage experience.

“I mean, we wanted to do a tribute,” said Williams, her tone both grounded and reverent. “In the middle of the

show, when everything turns purple, people start crying. I met him once in Paris, and it was emotional. There’s always been a real connection there.” Webb nodded beside her. “I wish I had known him personally,” he said. “I’ve loved his music for so many years. I saw him twice in small clubs, sitting right at the edge of the stage, just in awe of what he was able to do. You love the music on the record, but when you see him live, he transforms

it. That changed me.”

Their conversation with Insight News publisher Al McFarlane took place in the ornate lobby of the State Theatre, just steps away from the very streets where Prince once filmed scenes that would etch Minneapolis into music history. For Williams and Webb, being here is more than professional. It’s spiritual. “I don’t really know Minneapolis,” Williams admitted. “Every time I come, I’m

working. But I feel the energy here, the love, the history. You can sense why this place meant so much to him.”

That energy, McFarlane noted, is woven into the city’s DNA. He shared his own Prince story from decades earlier, when Insight News’ offices sat just down the street from the legendary First Avenue nightclub. “When they were filming Purple Rain, one of the motorcycle scenes was shot right out-

Minneapolis Fire Department's first all-Native American fire crew

On the edge of downtown Minneapolis sits the city’s busiest fire station: MFD Station 6. The station serves one of the city’s most vibrant yet historically underserved communities — one rich in culture, tradition and resilience.

Engine 10, based at Station 6, is the city’s second busiest crew, responding to hundreds of fires, medical emergencies and other calls each year.

Engine 10’s A Shift is also the Minneapolis Fire Department’s first all-Native firefighter crew. For these firefighters, every call carries deeper meaning, as they bring representation, service and understanding responding to a neighborhood that’s predominantly their own community. Three of are Anishinabe and one is Lakota. The community and the native community specifically has had a tremendous response of just

loving seeing an allnative crew. We care about the community that we serve because we have family, friends, and we come from here. They're really happy to see a all-native crew, especially one that helps serve them, the firefighters said. When you get on scene somewhere and someone sees you and they they recognize that you came from somewhere they came from. This is our rig engine

10 that. So, yes, it's the the city and residents know that when they see Engine 10 that it's us. Okay. I think our culture helps us because we have the understanding of the trauma that happened with our people. We can relate to that firsthand. I carry the values that that were instilled in me of being a protector and a provider", Captain Graves said.

25 percent drop in overdose deaths

Following three years of significant state investments in addiction services, opioid overdoses declined by 32% statewide and across demographics

Governor Tim Walz last week reported that for the second year in a row, Minnesota saw a drop in overdose deaths and hospitalizations. Overdose deaths decreased 26%, from 2023 to 2024, while hospital-treated nonfatal overdoses decreased 19%. These decreases were seen in nearly every region of the state and across demographics.

“This is incredible progress and a testament to the shared goals, dedication, and overdose prevention efforts happening across Minnesota,” said Governor Walz. “Together, we’re saving lives and showing what’s possible when we meet this crisis with compassion and action. This is measurable progress, and we’re going to keep working to save lives.”

“This decline in overdose deaths and hospitalizations shows what can happen when partners come together with a shared goal. This progress is

thanks to the collaboration of communities, state and local governments, Tribal Nations, health care providers, and public health and safety,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham. “Working together, we have expanded naloxone access and strengthened prevention and recovery supports. But we’re not done. We have to keep the momentum going to further prevent the tragic consequences of fentanyl and other drugs in our communities.”

Over the last three years the Governor and legislature have provided significant funding for substance use and overdose prevention, treatment, and recovery for those experiencing addiction.

“Strength-based prevention strategies are working,” said Mariah Wabasha, director, Lower Sioux Human Services. “At the same time, we believe this momentum should

be viewed as a step toward the larger goal of eliminating overdoses altogether. Even one life lost to overdose is too many, and the work must continue to ensure families and communities do not have to carry that loss.”

“State funding empowered Open Cities Health Center to lead overdose prevention efforts at the intersection of housing, substance use, and public health,” said Katyka

Ivanchuk, outreach overdose prevention coordinator, Open Cities Health Center. “This cross-sector, community-centered approach saves lives and strengthens neighborhood clinics in St. Paul.”

The largest decrease in overdose deaths, 31%, occurred in Greater Minnesota

After assistant principal sexually harassed a nine-year-old student

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights last week announced a settlement agreement with Osseo Area Schools after finding the school district violated Minnesota’s civil rights law by failing to stop an assistant principal from sexually harassing a nine-year-old student.

Under the settlement, the district agreed to send a written apology letter to the student, pay the former student $61,500, hold a listening session with the student and her

parents, and make changes to stop and prevent future sexual harassment and discrimination.

“As demonstrated here, when a Minnesota school knows or should have known about discrimination and harassment, and fails to take meaningful action to prevent it, it not only causes tremendous harm to the student and their family, but it also violates the Minnesota Human Rights Act,” said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commission-

School district will apologize to the student, pay her $61,500, and implement reforms to prevent future sexual harassment

er Rebecca Lucero. “Despite a rapidly shifting civil rights enforcement landscape at the federal level, this case demonstrates that Minnesota is not backing down from its civil rights laws.”

“What happened was wrong and unjust. School districts should continue to be held accountable when discrimination, harassment, or any mis-

Governor Tim Walz last Monday visited The Open Door Pantry in Eagan to announce $4 million in new funding for Minnesota food shelves.

Funding will provide relief as 440,000 Minnesotans face the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Minesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) grocery benefits beginning November 1. Amid the federal government shutdown, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that it will not cover food assistance costs, despite the availability of contingency funds.

“Food shelves provide a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans. Yet the Trump Administration has chosen to cut off these critical benefits that keep families from going hungry,” said Governor Walz. “But if Washington won’t lead, Minnesota will. This funding will serve as a lifeline to help Minnesotans weather the storm.”

SNAP and MFIP grocery benefits provide vital support for Minnesotans across all 87 Minnesota counties and Tribal Nations. Of the 440,000

Minnesotans accessing SNAP and MFIP benefits, 36% are children, and 18% are seniors. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) expects 300 food shelves and Tribal Nations will receive emergency food support funds to provide coverage across Minnesota and reach families in need of food support. There were almost 9 million visits to food shelves in 2024 alone, which is up from 3.8 million visits in 2021.

“This emergency support is necessary but cannot fill

Two months ago, famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump stood before a ballroom filled with the echoes of history. He did not whisper. He thundered. “If you’ve been blessed,” he said, “you got to pass the blessing on. You just can’t keep it to yourself.” Then he pledged fifty thousand dollars to the Black Press of America. It was not an act of charity. It was an act of faith. A declaration that the oldest voice of Black truth must live to speak again. Crump said he made his

gift public because he wanted others to follow. He said he hoped those who had been lifted by the love and loyalty of Black people would remember who gave them their first breath of recognition. He hoped they would remember that the Black Press was not a charity case but a lifeline. Two months later, the silence has been deafening. Magic Johnson’s people said “no.” David Steward, founder of World Wide Technology, said “no.” Jay-Z’s team didn’t bother to return calls. Janice Bryant Howroyd of the Act-One Group did not respond. Richelieu Dennis

There are moments in history when a single act of generosity reveals the moral decay of an entire nation. MacKenzie Scott’s $38 million gift to Alabama State University, the largest in its 158-year history, is such a moment. It is not merely a financial transaction, nor the casual benevolence of the wealthy. It is a moral indictment against a society that has grown indifferent to the suffering of its Black citizens, against a government that starves their

Commentary

When Minneapolis decides what we value

By Haley Taylor Schlitz, Esq.

For

My

But in college, something shifted. I realized the life I was building was only possible because my parents had made education the center of everything. That clarity forced me to step back. I saw how public education helped create my path, and how many young people never get the same chance. I started to see the classroom not just as a place to learn, but as the foundation of the American Dream. And I wanted to be part of building that foundation for others.

So I changed my major from chemistry to education.

Law school came next, because I wanted to understand the systems behind the classroom. I wanted to know who gets access, who gets ignored, and why. But I never forgot where it started. I still wanted to teach.

At twenty, with a law degree in hand, I walked into a middle school in Texas and began teaching social studies. My students were stunned. Some asked if I was a student. Others, after learning I had a law degree, asked why I would choose to be their teacher. The answer was simple. Because the future begins in classrooms like theirs.

I loved being a teacher. I also saw how hard it was. Like all my colleagues, I spent money I didn’t have on supplies. I asked family and friends to help me fund and create the kind of classroom my students deserved. I kept snacks in my desk for kids who came to school hungry. I joined teachers in after-school conversations about what we would do if violence came to our campus. These were not dramatic hypo-

theticals. These were the daily realities of being an educator.

And in Texas, we taught under laws that stripped us of basic rights. Public school teachers cannot collectively bargain. We cannot strike. Still, I chose to join the American Federation of Teachers because I believe in the right to organize. I believe in standing up for the dignity of the profession and the safety of the people in it.

Which is why what is happening in Minneapolis matters so much to me now.

Educators here have voted to authorize a strike. They are still at the table, still in mediation, still hopeful. But they are also clear. They are asking for smaller class sizes, fair pay, and support for special education students. They are asking for the resources that make teaching possible and learning real.

Some say now is not the time. Some say the budget cannot stretch. But I have lived what happens when we pretend that broken systems are acceptable. When a teacher cannot do their job safely or effectively, the disruption is already hap-

pening. It lives in the overcrowded classroom, the unsupported student, the staff member working two extra jobs just to survive.

Minnesota likes to say we value education. This is where we prove it. We cannot keep calling teachers heroes while denying them the conditions to do their work. We cannot hold marches and post on social media and then look away when the moment comes to act at home. A budget is a statement of priorities. A contract is a reflection of values. If we want strong schools, we need to invest in the people who hold them together. I taught through the fear of book bans and backlash. I remember when my fellow teachers and I were told we could not teach Black History Month or Latino Heritage lessons because administrators were afraid of state retaliation. That fear lives in classrooms across this country. And while Minnesota is not Texas, we face the same question: will we defend the truth, or will we stay silent when our teachers need us most?

I think often about my students. The ones who debated history like it mattered. The quiet ones who found their voice. The kids who told me they saw their future differently because someone believed in them. Those moments happened because a classroom was cared for and a teacher was trusted to teach. As Minneapolis continues its negotiations, this is the time for families, neighbors, and leaders to lean in. Listen to the educators who are speaking from experience. Call your school board members. Ask for transparency. Ask for courage. If compromise comes, make sure it still honors the promise we make to children every time we send them through a school door.

I chose education because I believe in the American Dream. I chose law to learn how to protect it. And now, as a Minnesotan, I believe our values are not just what we say. They are what we are willing to stand up for. If we say we value public education, now is the time to prove it.

White America Faces Reality of Trump’s Cruel Shutdown as SNAP Benefits Vanish

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

America is being strangled by its own government. Forty million people who depend on food stamps to survive are about to lose them because Donald Trump decided that his personal power trip was more important than keeping the government open. The shutdown has cut deep, and this week, those cuts reach the dinner tables of the working poor. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has always been a mirror to this nation’s soul. We give 40 million people food stamps because corporations refuse to pay a living wage.

Most recipients work. They bag groceries, stock shelves, clean offices, and pour coffee for executives who earn more in a day than they will in a lifetime. But because the country’s biggest companies pay starvation wages, taxpayers are forced to step in. SNAP has become corporate welfare, a subsidy for greed. If those same corporations paid a living wage, that 40 million number would plummet. Yet the outrage is not over the imbalance of wealth or the rising cost of survival. Instead, it’s aimed at the people who need help just to feed their families. The question is why anyone would lose their mind over 40 million Americans having access to food, but not blink at the $40 billion Trump just sent to Argentina. Nobody wants to talk about that money.

Because legislators refuse to raise the minimum wage to a livable level, people are drowning. Rent is too high. Health insurance is skyrocketing. Home insurance premiums have doubled in some states. The working class is crushed under a system designed to make poverty permanent. It’s not getting better when career and hobby politicians—some who treat public office like a pastime—keep playing with the economy for personal gain. The president himself has turned governing into a hustle. He’s out here levying tariffs when he’s angry and playing insider trader when he’s not. The rich man’s talking points never change. Starbucks’ CEO made $95.8 million in salary last year. The average barista earns between $12,000 and $23,516 annually.

Does that make any sense? Approximately 1.3 million workers earn the federal minimum wage, and 2.7 million earn below it. Those are the people Donald Trump has abandoned. At the same time, Trump has seized control of the mainstream media. CNN’s CEO Mark Thompson reportedly told his staff to ease off coverage of Trump demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build his $300 million ballroom after a visit there. It’s a depressing spectacle watching major outlets obey a wouldbe dictator before he even demands it. If they won’t hold him accountable for corruption, the weaponization of the Justice Department, or the Epstein connections, what chance do Americans have for real truth? Meanwhile, Trump

continues to work very hard to make sure this nation will never again have free or fair elections. It sounds dramatic to people who avoid hearing his words, but the man keeps saying them himself. Trump doesn’t act like the President of the United States. He acts like a New York real estate huckster still hustling for the next sale, weighing in on every petty, meaningless issue that keeps his name in headlines. As one social media user put it, “Not one good word is ever uttered except in self-adulation. There are so many horrid people in America, in his opinion, it’s amazing that he abides living in such a godforsaken country. If it weren’t for the acolytes, he’d run away in a trice… Argentina, maybe?”

Another wrote, “With all these unhinged histrionics

from the Mango Mussolini, I wonder when pawn shops will start being major holders in Treasury bonds?”

That’s where we are. A nation where people who work full-time can’t buy groceries, where corporate America hoards billions while blaming the poor for needing help, and where the president lives like a king and calls it patriotism. The USDA says the SNAP money is gone. Trump says it’s the Democrats’ fault. But the truth is simpler. The man in the White House would rather starve his own people than admit that his cruelty and corruption have bankrupted more than the Treasury. They’ve bankrupted the soul of this nation.

“This is cruelty, and it is deliberate,” said Representative Rosa DeLauro.

Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be tricky, but employees are entitled to accommodations

Mental health challenges can affect anyone, regardless of background or circumstance, and they are becoming more common across the United States.

In 2022, a national survey found that about 60 million American adults – approximately 23% of the U.S. adult population – were living with a mental illness, defined as a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. This translates to a nearly 37% increase over the past decade. These conditions can have a profound and lasting effect on patients’ lives, including their ability to engage meaningfully and sustainably in the workforce.

Globally, depression and anxiety are estimated to lead to 12 billion lost working days annually, costing an estimated US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity worldwide and $47 billion in the United States.

I am a medical director and practicing psychiatrist. I work with graduate students, residents, faculty and staff on a health science campus, supporting their mental health – in-

cluding when it intersects with challenges in the workplace.

I often meet with patients who feel unsure about how to approach conversations with their schools, programs or employers regarding their mental health, especially when it involves taking time off for care. This uncertainty can lead to delays in treatment, even when it’s truly needed.

Mental health by the numbers

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health conditions in the U.S..

Nineteen percent of American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and more than 15% have depression.

Meanwhile, about 11% of Americans experi-

ence other conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Rates of anxiety and depression increased worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. But one positive consequence of the pandemic is that talking about mental health has become more normalized and less stigmatized, including in the workplace.

Struggling at work

For those with mental illness, the traditional expectation of maintaining a strict separation between personal and professional life is not only unrealistic, it may even be detrimental. The effect of mental ill-

ness on a person’s work varies depending on the type, severity and duration of their symptoms.

For instance, severe depression can affect basic self-care, making it difficult to complete tasks such as bathing, eating or even getting out of bed. Severe anxiety can also be profoundly debilitating and limit a person’s ability to leave the house due to intense fear or panic. The symptoms of such severe mental illness may make it difficult even to show up to work.

On the other hand, someone struggling with mild depression or anxiety may have a hard time initiating or completing tasks that they would typically manage with ease and find it difficult to interact with

colleagues. Both depression and anxiety may affect sleep, which can contribute to cognitive lapses and increased fatigue during the work day.

Someone with PTSD may find that certain environments remind them of traumatic experiences, making it difficult to fully engage in their work.

And a person experiencing a manic episode related to bipolar disorder might need to take time away from work entirely to focus on their stabilization and recovery.

Knowing when to ask for help

Identifying a trusted colleague, supervisor or human resources representative can be an important first step in managing your mental health at work.

While selecting the right person to confide in may be challenging, especially given the vulnerability associated with disclosing mental health concerns, doing so can open pathways to appropriate resources and tailored support services.

For instance, it might encourage an employer to consider offering access to free or low-cost mental health care if it’s not already available, or to provide flexible scheduling that makes it easier for employees to get mental health treatment.

It’s also important to be aware of changes in your mental health. The earlier you can recognize signs of decline, the sooner you can get the sup-

port that you need, which might prevent symptoms from worsening.

On the other hand, sharing sensitive information with someone who is not equipped to respond appropriately could lead to unintended consequences, such as workplace gossip, unmet expectations and increased frustration due to perceived lack of support. However, even if your supervisor or manager is not understanding, that doesn’t change the fact that you have rights in the workplace.

Consider exploring accommodations

The Americans with Disabilities Act provides critical protections for individuals with disabilities in the workplace. Under the act, it is unlawful for employers to discriminate against qualified individuals based on a disability.

The law also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations so that people who qualify are able to participate fully in the workplace provided that they do not impose undue burden on the place of employment. There are many reasonable accommodations for workers with mental illness. These can include protected time to attend mental health appointments and flexibility in

conduct occurs. We are grateful to have received some form of justice in this situation,” said the student’s parents.

When it comes to discrimination in schools, Minnesota’s law is clear

Amid constant shifts at the federal level, Minnesota’s civil rights law is clear. When a school district knows or should know about discrimination or harassment, they must take action to address it.

Under the Minnesota

counties, while metro counties experienced a 23% decrease. In 2024, opioid-involved deaths in Minnesota decreased by 32%, including a

Human Rights Act, Minnesota schools are prohibited from discriminating against students by denying them services, benefits, or full use of the school because of their race, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has powerfully recognized that "students should not be required to ‘shop’ among schools and districts to obtain a discrimination-free education,” because “[s]chools play a pivotal role in a young person’s development and intellectual, mental, and emotional health.”

This means Minnesota schools must prevent and stop discrimination and harassment.

will be used to purchase, transport, and coordinate the distribution of nutritious food to needy individuals and families.

35% decline in synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl. All other opioid-related categories, including prescribed opioids, heroin, and methadone, contin-

Investigation into Osseo Area Schools

The Department of Human Rights’ investigation found that during the 2021-22 school year, an assistant principal used his position of power – both as a school leader and an adult – to sexually harass a nine-year-old student. He told the fourth grader that he could not stop looking at her, went out of his way to interact with her, and inappropriately touched her.

The investigation found that Osseo Area Schools knew or should have known that the assistant principal was harassing the student. The district had credible reports of the sexual harassment from other

DCYF is fully operational and providing service to partners and clients before, during, and after the federal shutdown.

ued to decline. Nonfatal overdoses also decreased across all other substance categories, with nearly 15 nonfatal overdoses treated in hospitals for every

students, teachers, and the student’s parents. Despite this, the district took no meaningful action to stop or prevent the assistant principal from sexually harassing the nine -year-old. The school’s failure to stop the sexual harassment had a significant impact on the nine-year-old. Her parents ultimately withdrew her from the district.

Settlement agreement Recognizing the harm caused by the district’s failure to take meaningful action, Osseo Area Schools agreed to write an apology letter to the student and hold a listening session with the student and her parents, terms rarely included in settlement

one overdose death. This downward trend reflects a national pattern and underscores the effectiveness of sustained prevention and overdose prevention

agreements. Osseo Area Schools will also pay the former student $61,500 for the impact the sexual harassment had on her.

The settlement agreement also requires Osseo Area Schools to take action to prevent and stop future discrimination and harassment. For example, the district must have and enforce anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and procedures and train staff, leadership, and teachers on those policies and procedures.

The Department of Human Rights will monitor Osseo Area Schools’ compliance with the settlement agreement for the next five years

Visit https://dcyf.mn.gov/federal-shutdown for updates on the latest federal government shutdown impact to DCYF programs. Photos from the event can be found at https://www.flickr. com/photos/mngov/

strategies. Read the full report: Statewide Trends in Drug Overdose: 2024 Data Update

How

to

report discrimination

of Sundial Brands did not respond. Daymond John, Thomas Moorehead, and Tristan Walker did not respond. Tyler Perry, Robert Smith, and Oprah Winfrey did not respond. Dr. Dre, Spike Lee, and Michael Jordan each have also ignored multiple attempts to have conversations. Even across the ocean, Africa’s wealthiest men—Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Patrice Motsepe, Strive Masiyiwa, and Abdulsamad Rabiu—have people working for them who won’t acknowledge the Black Press with a simple response. Let the record show what was asked of them. The Black Press did not beg for charity. The Black Press asked to advertise their compa-

nies, their products, and their services. We asked to build relationships that honor the communities they came from. Many of them, like Magic, Oprah, and Jordan, have foundations that could have given grants if their hearts were so moved. The Black Press only asked that they see its worth.

Even the Democratic Party, carried to power by Black faith and Black votes, has turned away. The same party that claims to speak for equality now walks quietly in step with Trump’s anti-diversity crusade. They have shut the Black Press out of advertising dollars while funneling millions into whiteowned mainstream media. It is hypocrisy dressed in progress to preach inclusion while starving the very storytellers who gave them the language of struggle.

This abandonment comes at a time when Trump

has declared war on the lives and livelihoods of Black people. His administration has terminated more than three hundred thousand Black women from federal jobs that once sustained families. His policies against diversity have closed doors for hundreds of thousands of other Black men and women. Companies, emboldened by his rhetoric, continue to lay off and fire workers, many of them Black. And in the middle of this storm stands the Black Press — the last institution that still employs and uplifts hundreds of Black men and women who have families to support. Each of the more than two hundred newspapers and media companies in the Black Press represents not only truth on paper, but food on a table, tuition paid, rent covered, and the dignity of work preserved. The Black Press has been here before. It

has stood when Frederick Douglass told a nation built on lies that truth would not die. It stood when Ida B. Wells printed the names of the lynched. It stood when Mamie Till demanded that the world look at her child. It stood when Dr. King wrote from Birmingham Jail. It stood when Malcolm X spoke the raw truth America refused to face. It stood when the white press would not. And it still stands today, two centuries strong, built by two brave souls – John B. Russwurm and Samuel Cornish during slavery – and, now, carried mostly on the backs of Black women. The Chicago Defender. The New Pittsburgh Courier. EBONY. The Amsterdam News. The Philadelphia Tribune. The Afro American. The St. Louis American. The Los Angeles Sentinel. The Michigan Chronicle. The Washington Informer. These are not

relics of a fading past. They are the pulse of a people who refuse to vanish.

Many of these newspapers live in the same cities that raised the icons now silent. Chicago, where Jordan and Oprah became legends. Los Angeles, where Magic Johnson built his empire. Brooklyn, where Spike Lee found his voice. Philadelphia and New York, where Jay-Z and Will Smith found theirs. The irony is sharp. These newspapers gave many of them their first headlines, their first interviews, their first measure of respect.

Remember EBONY? JET?

How about Right On! Yet now, as the Black Press struggles for air, those it once lifted act as if they never knew its name. So it is that in this moment of trial, a civil rights attorney and a white businessman stand nearly alone. Mark Cuban, through his Cost-

schools, and against a class of newly rich who have forgotten the communal obligations of success.

Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr., the university’s president, called it a defining moment for Alabama State, and indeed it is. His words ring with the gratitude of those who have built excellence in the face of deprivation. “Ms. Scott’s generosity affirms Alabama State University’s reputation as a catalyst for excellence and innovation in higher education,” he said. But her act is more than affirmation. It is a resurrection, and a call to remember that Black institutions remain the crucibles

of America’s moral and intellectual power. In recent weeks, Scott has dispersed her fortune with quiet conviction. Seventy million to the United Negro College Fund to strengthen endowments across thirty-seven member schools; sixty-three million to Morgan State University, her second gift to that campus in less than five years; and one hundred and one million combined to Morgan State and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in a span of days. Her giving, unshackled by stipulations or vanity, stands in luminous contrast to an era defined by greed and indifference. The plutocracy that dominates modern life often extracts from the many to enrich the few. Scott reverses that equation. She does not donate to dominate. She gives to

repair. Her wealth, born of corporate conquest, has become the instrument of restoration. It stands as a redemption, perhaps, of what that very system has broken. One cannot ignore the symbolism of her actions. At a time when the federal government withholds support from historically Black institutions, when affirmative action has been dismantled, and when diversity programs are vilified, a white woman from the highest ranks of privilege has become the single most consistent benefactor of Black education in the nation. It is as though she has seen, from her rarefied vantage point, what America refuses to see: that the progress of its Black citizens is not a charity, but the measure of its own civilization. Yet even as she gives,

others remain silent. The silence of Black wealth resounds across the land. It is a silence that mocks the very principles of uplift once preached from our pulpits and classrooms. Attorney Benjamin Crump’s call to the wealthy—“If you’ve been blessed, you got to pass the blessing on”—echoes unanswered. The great sons and daughters of our race who have ascended to fortune, those who built empires on the faith of our people, turn their eyes away from the institutions that birthed them. They forget the hands that lifted them from obscurity. They forget that their wealth is not solely their own, but part of the moral economy of a people who have suffered together and triumphed together. The Black Press, like the HBCUs, stands as an unbroken monument to endurance. It has spoken truth through lynchings,

If you believe you have been discriminated against, contact the Department of Human Rights by submitting online form. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is the state’s civil rights enforcement agency and is responsible for enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act, one of the strongest state civil rights laws in the country. Scan this to access form

Plus Drugs company, reached into his own pocket and gave one hundred thousand dollars to the Black Press without hesitation. He did not wait to be convinced. He saw the need and answered it. Two hundred years of truth are hanging by a thread. The presses still turn. The ink still flows. But for how

If the Black Press falls, so does the record of our struggle, our triumph, and our faith. And when that day comes, history will not say the Black Press was destroyed by white supremacy. It will say it was abandoned by its own.

“We are going to save ourselves,” Crump declared. “We are all we need.” His words were not sentimental. They were a warning. Because a people without storytellers are a people without memory.

wars, and betrayals. Yet it now faces extinction not from white suppression alone, but from the neglect of its own. “If the Black Press falls,” Crump warned, “so does the record of our struggle, our triumph, and our faith.” Scott’s philanthropy, then, is not simply about money. It is about memory. The moral memory of a nation that has forgotten the debt it owes to those it once enslaved and now ignores. In her giving, she restores something elemental, the belief that one’s prosperity is meaningless if it does not lift others. W.E.B. Du Bois wrote of the “double consciousness” that afflicts the Negro in America, the struggle to see oneself through the eyes of a world that despises you. Today, the irony is reversed. America must learn to see itself through the eyes of those it has wronged. MacKenzie Scott, for all her privilege, seems to have glimpsed that truth. She gives the impression that she has looked into the soul of the republic and found it wanting. Her actions do not absolve the sins of this nation. They reveal them. And in revealing them, they offer a path, not of atonement, but of accountability. For every dollar she gives to rebuild a school, there are a thousand more that others with power might give but will not. One woman has chosen conscience over complacency. The question that remains is whether the rest of America—Black and white alike—will choose to follow her example or remain comfortable in the quiet decay of its own moral poverty.

Civic Engagement

Lowry/Penn update

By LaTrisha Vetaw Ward 4 Council Member

Something exciting is happening at Lowry & Penn. This intersection is the heart of our Northside. For years, neighbors have dreamed of seeing it come alive again with local businesses, new housing, and spaces that truly reflect the spirit of our community. Now that moment is here! At City Hall I have asked developers to share their best ideas for these public sites, and five creative teams have been chosen for final consid-

starts January 1

eration. Their proposals range from a local market and affordable apartments, to youth-centered housing, small-business spaces, and even senior living

options. Each idea brings a new way to make Lowry & Penn a

Bridging the gap: Shared roots, diverse journey

On October 4th, the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage (CMAH) hosted “Bridging the Gap: Shared Roots, Diverse Journey” at the NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center in North Minneapolis. This gathering brought together community members, leaders, and youth for an afternoon of learning, dialogue, and cultural connection focused on debunking myths and dismantling stereotypes that have historically divided Black and African immigrant communities. Community conversations highlighted practical actions to strengthen solidarity, including creating shared learning spaces, encouraging youth engagement, and developing hubs for cultural exchange and information sharing. Attendees were encouraged to come up with things that we as a community need to start and stop

African American Health State Advisory Council applications are now open

Applications have opened for new members to serve on the African American Health State Advisory Council. Established under Minnesota Statutes, section 144.0755, the African American Health State Advisory Council: Identifies health disparities found in African American communities and contributing factors.

Recommends to the commissioner for review any statutes, rules, or administrative policies or practices that would address African American health disparities. Recommends policies and strategies to the commissioner of health to address disparities specifically affecting African American health. Forms work groups to

accomplish tasks. Annually submits to the commissioner of health a report that summarizes the activities of the council, identifies disparities specially affecting the health of African American Minnesotans, and makes recommendations to address identified disparities. Apply for an open position through the African

American Health State Advisory Council page on the Minnesota Office of Secretary of State Boards and Commissions website.

Detailed instructions on finding a position, submitting an application, and related information are provided on the Boards & Commissions Help & How To webpage.

The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is hosting the CanGrow Grant Informational Session, an online webinar designed to provide an overview of the upcoming CanGrow grant opportunity. The CanGrow grant program includes two separate funding opportunities: (1) CanGrow farmer training grants, which support organizations, schools, and businesses that help farmers build skills, knowledge, and capacity to succeed in the industry; and (2) CanGrow farmer loan grants, which provide funding to nonprofit corporations to

Trump regime

By Lisa Gilbert & Robert Weissman, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen

From 5

work schedules and workplace.

For instance, if your job allows for it, working from home can be helpful. If your job requires being on site, a private work space is another reasonable accommodation. Someone with anxiety might find that working in a quiet, private space helps reduce distractions that trigger their symptoms, making it easier for them to stay focused and get things done.

Relying on individual employees to manage their mental health is not a sustainable long-term strategy for employers and may lead to significant workplace disruptions, such as more missed work days and lower productivity.

Other possible accommodations include providing sick leave or flexible vacation time to use for mental health days or appointments, or allowing an employee to take breaks according to their individual needs rather than a fixed schedule. Employers can also provide support by offering equipment or technology such as white noise machines or dictation software. The role of the workplace An organization’s commitment to supporting employee mental health can play a large role in shaping how well employees perform at work –and, ultimately, the organization’s success.

Studies show that when employers lead targeted initiatives promoting mental health, overall workplace functioning and resilience improve. These initiatives might include educating employees on mental health, providing accessible care, helping employees have better work-life balance and designing supportive workplace policies for those who are struggling. These steps help reduce stigma and signal to employees that it’s safe to seek support. Disclosure statement Julie Wolfe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Books, Art & Culture

charged him with the same emotions. “Being able to come here, to his city, where he lived, and work on his music is the one thing that keeps me going,” he said. “I hope this becomes a gift to the people here who helped build what he started,” he said.

During the conversation, McFarlane asked how Purple Rain™ could speak to today’s moment of social and political division. “How does Purple Rain™ make a statement of being itself and reflect a spirit that refuses to be suppressed or to conform?” he asked.

Jacobs-Jenkins replied, “I was on the phone today with my therapist who said that free speech is under attack. There’s no way that this company of people, here by the grace of the city of Minneapolis, are not feeling that pressure or fear. But when you have the example of an artist who was brave, who said, ‘Nobody’s doing this, but I’m going to do it,’ and it reminds you that strength in difficult times gives light and hope to others. They want to squash imagination and independent thought. Prince was the artist who said, ‘You can’t do that to me. I’m going to stay free.’ That gives me hope. It keeps me going in the morning.”

That same message of creative defiance is at the heart of the groundbreaking and widely anticipated new production. In the context of the play, Minneapolis is treated not as a backdrop but as a living char-

acter in the story. Explaining the thoughts behind this, BlainCruz expressed that the city’s sound and texture are inseparable from Prince’s work. “This city was a major font of inspiration… We want to honour that while also creating something that can reach the world,” she said.

McFarlane, whose Insight News offices once stood a block from First Avenue where Prince filmed Purple Rain, described Minneapolis as a city that continually renews its creative power. “Prince turned this city into a global stage,” he said. “Now this city is turning his story into a global stage play.”

Adding on this profound statement by McFarlane, Jacobs-Jenkins added: “This city gave him everything, the grit, the contrast, the courage. You can feel it in the music. This is not only a musical. It is a study in what it means to stay human and stay free.”

Blain-Cruz and Ja-

cobs-Jenkins view Purple Rain™ as more than a retelling of a film and view it rather as is a celebration of artistic boldness. Moreso, the film is also an invitation to experience music as both performance, and as principle. “Prince created from the same Minneapolis that continues to demand change and reinvention,” McFarlane said.

“His music was freedom music. It is only right that his story returns home first.”

As Purple Rain™ continues its run at the State Theatre, audiences will witness more than the familiar songs. They will experience a living story about courage, love, and creativity unfolding in the same city that shaped the man himself.

Jacobs-Jenkins closed the conversation with a thought that reflects the project’s intent. “Being here, working on his music, that’s what keeps me going,” he said. “It is my hope the show becomes a gift to the people here, the ones who made this possible.” In Minneapolis, the sound of Purple Rain™ still echoes through the streets. It remains a call to freedom and imagination. As Al McFarlane observed, “When you walk down First Avenue today you can still feel it, the energy, the joy, the belief in the power of art. That is what Prince left us, and that is what Purple Rain™ brings back home.”

Books, Art & Culture

St. Peter’s AME Church Celebrates 145 Years

By W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

it has hosted events such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Breakfast, African Amer-

Live at Orchestra Hall

DESSA RETURNS

Conducted by Sarah Hicks, Dessa will perform her original music arranged for orchestra by Andy Thompson, alongside frequent musical collaborators and the Minnesota Orchestra

The one-of-a-kind artist Dessa returns to Orchestra Hall for a pair of concerts, 8 p.m. on Friday, November 7, and Saturday, November 8, that will reunite her with her biggest band: the Minnesota Orchestra. Led by Principal Conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall Sarah Hicks, the concerts will feature a wide-ranging collection of original music by Dessa—including brand-new material— all arranged for orchestra by Grammy-nominated composer Andy Thompson. Dessa and the Orchestra will be joined by her frequent collaborators vocalists Aviva Jaye, Cameron Kinghorn, Matthew Santos and Aby Wolf; vocalist/saxophonist Joshua Williams; bassist Ian Allison; and drummer Joey Van Phillips.

Described by the Los Angeles Times as “like no one else,” Minnesota-born Dessa is known for spanning genres and disciplines in her work as a singer, rapper, writer, musician, podcaster and public speaker. Her previous Orchestra collaborations, taking place in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023, were funny and moving events

of soaring orchestrations, charismatic monologue and infectiously spirited performance. Dessa builds each show around clever commentary on the human condition—a narrative scaffolding of stories that touch on everything from dental work and fMRI imaging to the fall of Rome but ultimately circle back to our appetite for love and connection.

A singer, rapper and writer who has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations, Dessa has co-composed for large choirs, crowd surfed at rock clubs and contributed a track to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape. Her TED Talk “Can We Choose to Fall Out of Love?” has notched more than five million views, and her written work has been published by the likes of The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler. She is currently serving as artist in residence at Georgetown University’s Music Sustainability Initiative. On the stage and on the page, Dessa’s work embodies ferocity, wit, tenderness and candor. Sarah Hicks is the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall, a role in which she oversees planning for and conducts many concerts in the broad-spectrum series of pop-

ular music, movie scores, indie artists and Broadway classics. Hicks’ career has seen collaborations with a diverse range of artists, from Hilary Hahn and Dmitri Hvorostovsky to Rufus Wainwright, Jennifer Hudson and Sting. Alongside Director of Live at Orchestra Hall Grant Meachum, she has been a leader in developing concerts featuring artists from Minnesota’s popular music scene—including collaborations with Dessa, Cloud Cult and Nur-D. A specialist in film music, she is passionate about creating concert experiences which combine sight and sound and that welcome new audiences to the orchestral genre. Of the current collaboration, Dessa says, “If orchestra shows came with a bingo card, mine would feature a bell, a wheel, a shot glass, and a personal essay in really small type about the limitations of human intimacies—the solitary nature of our interior lives, a realm we cannot leave and no other mind may visit, even though we try mightily to dissolve the partitions between us through love and art and music. Oh, and a kite—I write about kites a lot, too.”

The November 8 concert falls on the anniversary of the release of Sound the Bells, the live-in-concert, 17-track al-

bum Dessa, Hicks and the Orchestra recorded and released in 2019 for Doomtree Records. To mark the occasion, Dessa is making available a limited run of vinyl records.

Founded in 1903, the Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra is known for acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning educa-

tional programs; and a commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of tomorrow, all based on the belief that music is for everyone. Each year, Minnesota Orchestra concerts and recordings are seen and heard by more than two million people via television, radio, digital streaming, and on-demand platforms. Led by Music Director Thomas Søndergård, the Or-

8, 2025, 8 p.m. / Lindahl Auditorium, Orchestra Hall

Ryan

P. Retail Banking Team Manager 11 years with BofA