Keep citizen journalism alive in Phillips
OPENING: PHOTOGRAPHY INSTALLATION OUTDOORS & FULLY PUBLIC
Photographs Taken of People in East Phillips Neighborhood, MPLS.
Saturday, May 12th 6pm
Phillips Garden 2646 Cedar Ave So
$5-10 Suggested Donation
Ten extraordinary photographs will be unveiled in East Phillips Neighborhood on May 12th. Photographer Amanda Spencer spent the summer of 2011 meeting the people of East Phillips Neighborhood, interviewing them and taking their pictures. Her project SEEING PHILLIPS & SEEKING UNDERSTANDING uncovers the daily lives, celebrations, and quiet diversity of an inner city neighborhood.
The fully public installation within East Phillips will have a gala opening with dancers from the East Phillips Nepali community. The display on the front lawn of Phillips Garden, 2646 Cedar Ave. So., will run for 2 months.
As an emerging young artist in Minneapolis, Amanda Spencer focuses on cultural, social and personal identity. Beginning with the nerve-wracking moment last April when she got out of her car in an unknown neighborhood, Amanda took pictures and was given friendship throughout the community. Her work invites the viewer to consider the dignity of Minneapolis’ most diverse neighborhood. The SEEING PHILLIPS & SEEKING UNDERSTANDING project reveals the humanity of Phillips neighbors not the stereotypes that surround them. The photographs are presented with personal stories written by the people in them. This accessible outdoor installation is meant to act as a gathering spot for the neighborhood and a celebration of their community.
Amanda Spencer found financial support for the project on the crowd-sourced fund-raising site Kickstarter, which caused her project to later be included in Kare 11’s story on Kickstarter. The project was also shown at the 2011 national conference of Imagining America: Scholars and Artists in Public Life, where she was awarded a PAGE Undergraduate Fellowship.
The East Phillips photography installation, opening on May 12th 2012, shines light on the people of the diverse East Phillips community.
www.akspencer.com/eastphillips (artist statement & photographs)
www.akspencer.com/eastphillipsintroduction (introduction to the book East Phillips)
Sportstalk; Farewell Mama
By Ray Jay and Young Dex
This May issue of Sportstalk is dedicated to, and in honor of my Mother and Dex’s Grandmother, Mattie Mae Jackson, who passed on April 2, 2012. Mother, born December 5, 1927, has been our sports supporter throughout our lives. Even though she did not know a free throw from a dunk, and to her, off sides meant rummaging through the kitchen during non appointed eating times she greatly encouraged us athletically; constantly reminding us to always put our best foot forward.
Filling in for Dad, Cleveland Jackson, who passed on September 18, 2010; of whom I grew up mad at, for never throwing me a football or a baseball, I later in life finally realized what a good father/Hero Dad actually is. You see, Dad had to work all the time to support a large family, work that included 30 years in the United States Army defending his country. Serving, starting in World War II, at the age of nineteen, he served two tours in the war with Korea and four tours in Vietnam. What an American HERO he is!!!
Mother also encouraged us with Sportstalk, saying, “Keep it fun, entertaining and real.” We Love You Mama and Pops!!!!
Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Improvement Association News
By Dan Wilder
I am happy to report that at our March monthly members meeting the Midtown Phillips neighborhood voted to support a plan to put a streetcar on the Midtown Greenway. We feel it will bring a much needed connection to the light rail lines and businesses along Lake Street for all the neighborhoods along the Greenway. You can learn more about the Alternatives Analysis study Metro Transit is conducting this year to review options for the Midtown Corridor on our website www.MidtownPhillips.org.
In other news, we have an open board seat that we need to fill on our volunteer board of directors. It is a one year term to fill the seat I left vacant when I stepped into the role of president. I urge anyone who has a desire to help move our neighborhood in a positive direction to come to our next monthly members meeting and run for the open seat. If you can’t make it in person, please let me know that you’re interested in running.
If you’d like to stay informed of upcoming meetings and events in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood, you should check out our new website at www.MidtownPhillips.org. On the website you can also sign up for our monthly newsletter, through which you can receive previous board meeting minutes and an update on what we’re working on. Also please pass along any announcements you’d like us to post on the web. (Oh, and don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook too at www.Facebook.com/MidtownPhillipsMinneapolis.)
I plan on writing monthly updates in the Alley from now on. Until next time, I look forward to working with you to make Midtown Phillips a vibrant and bustling community.
Xcel Underground powerline Substations Planning-Public Hearing in June
By Shirley Heyer, MPNIA rep to the Hiawatha Project Substation Design Advisory Committee
Xcel held 3 design workshops with an Advisory Committee of 20 folks, including neighborhood reps, for proposed Hiawatha and Midtown South Substations (SS) as directed by Minnesota Pubic Utilities Commission. Final schematic designs to be presented June Public Hearing– watch for time and place.
At 3rd mtg.April 9, Architecture Alliance, artistic design architects of the SS walls, requested 5 ideas from each rep. describing their concept (not details) of “artistic” design.
The design is for 20’-22’ high walls surrounding each SS. 2 main concepts emerged; that there be different artistic wall designs because of disparate surroundings.
Arch. Alliance will merge the ideas for the Adv. Subcomm. in early May to be sure they are on the right track.
The SSs are extremely large using all space at each location. The Hiawatha SS is modeled after the Elliot SS (11th Ave. S. east of M-dome). Also see the Elliot SS from the I-35 freeway into downtown off Hiawatha Ave. It goes around the north side of the Metrodome and the Elliott SS can be seen up above to the right. The Hiawatha SS will be similar in size and design except the Hiawatha SS’s distribution structure will be 50’ taller.
The Midtown South SS between Park and Portland residential areas overlooks the MGW. It is located on property owned by Xcel (a former SS which Xcel demolished and 2 residential properties to the north; recently bought).
Sing Your Song
Harry Belafonte Sing Your Song
Sing Your Song
*****
(2011) Documentary /S2BN Films
Cast: Harry Belafonte (himself), Leadbelly (himself), Sidney Poitier (himself), Fran Scott Attaway (himself), Marge Champion (herself). Running time:105 minutes. Director: Susan Rostock.
“Sing Your Song” is produced by Harry Belafonte’s youngest daughter, Gina, a stupendous documentary on the living African American legend, Harry Belafonte at age 84. “Sing Your Song” is one of those overdue documentaries for which one can breathe a sigh of relief that the subject of the documentary is still living.
The handsome, yellow-toned Mr.Belafonte as the years of the civil rights movement rolls on would meet such giants as the actor-orator-activist -singer Paul Robeson, actor Sidney Poitier, singer-actor Sammy Davis Jr., actress Shelly Winters and singer-Afro-centric woman Nina Simone.
El Taller A.C. Social Justice Theatre Portrays Commonalities using Brazilian Augusto Boal’s “Theatre of the Oppressed Forum” methodology At 15th Ave St. Paul’s Church May 7th 7PM
El Taller A.C. (The Workshop, non-profit) Puebla, Mexico-based social justice theatre organization, is literally crossing borders to bring the message that borders affect people on both sides, albeit in very different ways through their tour Women Opening Borders: A Journey in Equity, Culture and Art.
The troupe members—six Mexican citizens and one US citizen will present two actor-written and -directed plays. El Taller A.C. challenges audience members to resolve a myriad of forms of violence that most directly affect women: the challenges faced by migrant women, sexual harassment at work, domestic violence, and prejudice due to sexual orientation. The primary focus of the tour is a show about a single mother who is compelled to migrate to the US in order to provide better for her children who stay behind in Mexico. The piece is entitled Camino de Esperanza / Esperanza’s Passage and uses Brazilian Augusto Boal’s (1931-2010) methodology, Theatre of the Oppressed: Forum Theatre, which invites audience members to step into the shoes of one of the characters in order to change the final outcome of the play.
The other piece, Mujer no se escribe con M de Macho / You Don’t Spell Woman with the Same ‘M’ in Macho is an upbeat one-woman farce divided into three monologues.
The troupe shows us our commonalities in spite of our differences, and helps us build bridges of understanding across the chasms of prejudice which have been widened by political forces on both sides of the US/Mexico border, and the more subtle manifestations of violence against women created by discrimination and tradition.
Free Will Offering.
Come Celebrate Re-Opening of Phillips Community Center May 12!
By Shirley Heyer, MPNIA rep to the Phillips Community Parks Initiative and PCC meetings
After saving the PCC from demolition or sale to private ownership, residents of the surrounding neighborhoods can sigh with relief! Their four-year effort saved the building with its double gym and swimming pool. Their efforts also resulted in a new partnership between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and a half dozen neighborhood organizations which are jointly operating and programming the building.
Tours of building: staff of the MPRB, Minneapolis Swims, Running Wolf Fitness Center, Waite House, A Partnership of Diabetics, Ventura Village and the Guri Nabad Center before and after lunch
Recognition ceremony
Free lunch at noon
Four hours of free music – come sit on the grass (or bring a lawn chair) on the west side of the park and watch local performers entertain you on the MPRB semi-truck stage.
Participate in the Midtown Greenway Coalition’s bike rodeo on 13th Ave. S.
Check out numerous neighborhood exhibit tables.
Come join the Grand Re-opening Festivities Saturday, May 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The main entrance is at E. 24th St. and 12th Ave. S. Bike, walk, use your wheelchair! E. 24th St. from 11th to 13th avenues and the 2300 block of 13th Ave. S. will be closed to parking.
War cannot be created
“War” cannot not be created like a basketball game…meaning you can create a basketball game by doing basketball things, but you cannot create “war”, which is the freedom to kill and destroy, by doing warlike things. You cannot get “war” from doing “war”, “war” cannot create itself.
The problem is, we believe “war” can be started like a basketball game, that once you have soldiers, bombers, battleships, things being blown up, you’ve got yourself a “war”. The “war” starters in 2003 knew this-that even though they did not have any real reasons to attack Iraq, that once they got the visual appearance of a “war” going-they were good, they had themselves a “war”, they had themselves a “war zone” they had themselves the freedom to kill and destroy within the “war zone”, but all they had was a fight that they picked.
With our belief that “war” can be accessed through nothing more than violence, defenseless countries like Iraq with “shock and awe”, the country of Iraq was pulled “into war” with the United States and Britain. Just how does attacking someone get them “in war” with you and then have the freedom to kill them? Now this same process is going to be played out with Iran. Israel and the United States talking arrogant talk about whether they will or they will not “go to war” with Iran. Does not Iran even get a say in this? They will be one half of the “war”.
Someone needs to explain to me if the U.S. or Israel attacks Iran, how does that pull Iran “into war” with them? It must be a magical pull-in process, because I see no evidence of a military attack having such power.
Frank Erickson
BYI Teams Creating Connections and Resources for Health
By Janice Barbee, Cultural Wellness Center
In the last two months the BackYard Initiative Update highlighted the work of eleven Citizen Health Action Teams (CHATs) that have been working over the past year to improve the health of BYI residents. There are a total of 14 CHATs now meeting in the Backyard community and this update highlights the work of the other seven CHATs.
The Backyard is defined as the approximately one square mile area surrounding Allina’s corporate headquarters. Residents of these seven neighborhoods in south Minneapolis have been supported by the Cultural Wellness Center to develop and implement their ideas for community health improvement since December of 2008. Allina has been contributing the funds for these projects, with additional support from Twin Cities LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation).
Each of the CHATs is growing the community’s capacity to increase residents’ knowledge and skills that help people to take better care of themselves.
12. Project S.E.L.F. CHAT: This team began under the leadership of a young Somali man who had a vision for strengthening the connection between youth and elders in the Somali community by open mic performances, storytelling, and dialogue. The CHAT has hosted an event every month, except during Ramadan, has held two open mic events, two mother-daughter events, several story-telling sessions for young children, and a large community picnic last summer. They are planning an Oral Interview Project to document the stories and wisdom of the elders and the experiences of the youth.
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Mind And Body Unite
By Peter Molenaar
After thirty-three years of hard labor in the neighborhood iron foundry, one would expect this writer to have resolved the question surrounding the apparent duality between mind and body. He certainly has had ample time to think about it with his nose before the grinding wheel.
It is a vexing problem. If after all our efforts, the duality remains un-refuted, a concession must be made to agnosticism. Which is to say: The door is then left open to the possibility of a transcendent spirit worthy of being called God.
In my student days, there was a course which examined the structure of the brain and the correlation of its sectors to various functions. However, I found no correlation between brain morphology and, for example, the infinite complexity of my visual field on a lovely spring day. The professor inquired as to the nature of the disappointment. “I remain mystified!” was the response.
The plot thickens…
As fate would have it, I have made several appointments with South Point Community Acupuncture. The human pin cushion reclined. His contemplations resumed.
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