‘Cover Stories’ Archives
“There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns,” – Octavia Butler
photo by Megan Gramlow, April 20, 2021 SAY THEIR NAMES cemetery at 37th and Park (near George Floyd Square). The sun sets on a call for justice. Visitors at the cemetery honor, mourn, celebrate, and gather momentum for the work of tomorrow. They compose a symphony for those lost: Guilty on all three counts.Black Lives MatterHumanity MattersYou Matter --Megan Gramlow, Phillips West Neighborhood Organization Safety Committee Duante Wright and his son, by Nikkolas Smith 2021 (www.nikkolasart.com)“If she saw your child, Katie, as she saw her child, I don”™t think she would”™ve reached for a taser, let alone a gun,” attorney Ben Crump said to Wright”™s mother and the crowd assembled at the services in North Minneapolis Thursday, April 22. A great exhale of relief went through the city, through the world, with the three guilty verdicts for Derick Chauvin.But, the verdicts cannot bring back those who lost their lives at the hands of [...]
Past, Present, Theater
On Stage involves local students in a closer look at Nina Simone”™s work around racialized violence By JESSIE MERRIAM Don't tell meI tell youMe and my people just about due I”™ve been there so I knowThey keep on saying “Go slow!” But that”™s just the trouble ---Nina Simone “Mississippi Goddam” 1963 On Stage's flyer for Nina Simone: Four Women virtual discussions “When we listen to Simone sing ”˜Mississippi Goddam”™--it could”™ve been written yesterday. Somebody needs to write a ”˜Minnesota Goddam”™ right now,” Twin Cities actress Thomasina Petrus declared to the group, gathered on the morning of April 1 to explore the play Nina Simone: Four Women and Simone”™s reverberating legacy. This gathering was arranged by On Stage: Creating a Community Dialogue Around Live Theater, a Twin Cities nonprofit that brings the [...]
Art Parties! Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts
By Interim Director Bart Buch and Artist/Board Member Angela Barrera A Party Invitation: We had a hard year last year, in many, many ways. Covid-19, economic hardship, violence, addiction, police brutality, social unrest, and homelessness have all increased the neighborhood's fear and isolation. One good thing that came out of the emergency of the uprising last year was getting to know new neighbors and looking out for one another during troubling times. We hope and feel better times are coming, Spring is arriving, and we at Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts have an idea, An Invitation! We want to help create better times with new connections, strengthening existing connections, and increasing community trust using art and parties - Art Parties! to celebrate together and continue looking out for one another. In March, Semilla Center started hosting these art parties on the first Wednesday of the month, first online while it was colder outside, then we will meet [...]
