Keep citizen journalism alive in Phillips
Why Phillips? Why Care?
By James Brewer Stewart
Why is the Phillips Neighborhood named Phillips?–Who was “Phillips”?–Why should anyone care?
Simply because this “Phillips” stands for a real person–Wendell Phillips–one of the world’s most admired fighters for human rights and for equality for everybody– No Exceptions–women and men, young and old, all colors, all backgrounds, all cultures..
That’s right—“Phillips” stands for racial and gender equality, workers’ rights and social justice. It means standing strong for personal dignity. It means looking to the future with eyes full of hope. It means exposing and condemning racism, sexism and economic exploitation. It means treating everyone with respect.
How perfect a name for Minneapolis’s most culturally diverse, most heavily discriminated against, most economically exploited neighborhood!
How perfect a name for the endlessly resourceful, ambitious, hard working people who make Phillips their home.
O.K., who was this guy?
November Phillips What Where
November Phillips What Where Contest (Above)
Call or e-mail us and Correctly tell WHAT and WHERE of this photo and we will enter your name in a drawing for a $10. Gift Certificate at Welna Hdwe. On Bloomington Ave. and 24th Street.
Bra·vo! Bra·vo! Bra·vis·si·mo!
By Sue Hunter Weir
It was an event like no other in Minneapolis. As far as we know the concert on October 8th was the first rock concert ever held in a Minneapolis cemetery. And, what a concert it was!
It was one of those days when everything came together: beautiful weather, fantastic music and a wonderful, wonderful crowd. How big was the crowd? Our best estimate is that 1,500 people attended. We sold about 900 advance tickets and between three and four hundred tickets at the gates. Kids under twelve and volunteers got in free.
Many who attended said that, although they had driven past the cemetery hundreds of times, this was the first time they’d stopped into the grounds. Many also told us that they had no idea how much history could be learned there. One of the big hits of the day was the smartphone history hunt which enabled people to use their phones to learn more about 25 of the people buried in the cemetery. Kids had their own history hunt and could get their faces painted or chalk along the roadway as well.
A-POD and Guri Nabad Partnership Launches Unique Somali Diabetes Management Workshop and Meetups
By Robert Albee
An October Saturday became one of those magic times that took more than two years to imagine and plan— yet just a few hours to implement! Ubah Keynan a diabetes nurse not long out of formal schooling herself, marveled to see a group of Somali women who had just met sharing their travails with diabetes so openly and passionately with a group of strangers.
For Dr. Faduma Addow, the only Somali psychiatrist in the United States and Emtea N. Osman, her Minneapolis sponsor and lifelong friend, a doorway has begun to open that someday in the future will lead to a Somali-American culturally-specific healthcare system. For them, this newly-launched comprehensive diabetes management program is just the beginning.
“A Partnership Of Diabetics (A-POD) is designed to open up those of us with this lifelong condition in a way that no clinic or hospital does. It’s simply sharing between one diabetic with another diabetic. It’s how we put people first in addressing the whole spectrum of our condition that makes us unique.” says Robert Albee, A-POD’s founder and longtime neighborhood activist. Through an introductory day-long workshop and follow-up weekly meetings, persons with diabetes have up to eighty-four annual hours of program contact instead of only an hour or two a year with one’s health care team. Albee admits that he benefitted highly from the highly-publicized ACCORD study of diabetics he participated in through Hennepin County Medical Center and then the development of several patient-oriented programs at the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) that he helped get started a decade ago.
A Peace of My Mind Exploring the meaning of peace one story at a time
Minneapolis photographer John Noltner will release his book, “A Peace of My Mind” on November 3rd, with a book release party at The Southern Theater in Minneapolis from 7-9pm.
“A Peace of My Mind” is a 120-page book that features the b&w portraits and personal stories of 55 individuals who answer the simple question, “What does peace mean to you?”
Since 2009, Noltner has photographed and interviewed Holocaust survivors, refugees, political leaders, artists, homeless individuals, and others, asking them to reveal what peace means to them, how they work towards it in their lives and what obstacles they encounter along the way.
The result is a stunning and heart-felt collection that acknowledges the challenges we face as a society, yet builds hope through the inspiring stories of people committed to peaceful tomorrows.
In 2010 the series was produced as a traveling exhibit with funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and has captivated audiences at venues throughout the Midwest.
The book will be available through the artist’s website, www.apeaceofmymind.net beginning November 4.
“Too often we are asked to look at what separates us in life,” Noltner said. “This book asks us to consider the common humanity that unites us.”
For more information:
A Peace of My Mind. John Noltner, Photographer / Author
Searching – A Serial Novelle Chapter 32: Crossing the Bridge
By Patrick Cabello Hansel
The next night, the longest and coldest of the year, Luz and Angel were out on the streets walking. Their plans had only extended to meeting at the Mercado Central for dinner, but as they sat in the dining area—Angel eating a Sandwich Cubano from Manny’s, Luz finishing off her Sweet Corn Tamal and Champurrado from La Loma—they noticed the exhibit of children’s photographs on the wall. It had beautiful photos of children smiling and butterflies, and strange ones of shadows, feet, and junk in the alley.
“Hey, look Luz,” Angel said. “It’s called ‘God’s Backyard’. What a weird name for a show!”
“I think it’s cute,” Luz replied. “Besides, isn’t the backyard where things happen: barbecues, toddlers swimming in tiny pools, little gardens of tomatoes and chiles?”
“Do you think we’re in God’s Backyard?” Angel asked, as they took their seats again.
Luz paused for a moment. “This may sound weird, but I think we are God’s Backyard!”
Running Wolf Fitness Center is Up and Running!
A Running Wolf session with Jesse Hairychin, Eli Murdoch and Connie Norman
By Robert Albee
After months of waiting for the day that Running Wolf Fitness Center would actually be running again, that day has finally arrived! Doors opened on Monday, October 17th at the Phillips Community Center and for a few moments it seemed like a Gold Rush! Actually, it was a gold rush because now there is a place in Phillips where people can go to begin or resume an exercise program without burdensome expenses to fragile personal budgets.
Through the assistance of UCare of Minnesota, Running Wolf participants need only set an appointment at the Native American Community Clinic or Indian Health Board for a fitness exam or medical clearance for 6 months free membership, and then bring their paperwork to Connie Norman, Running Wolf’s Manager. Once you’re signed up, you can begin your workouts in the beautifully appointed studios, take a shower and be on your way!
What is really different about Running Wolf is that staff actually takes the time to show you how to properly use each of the installed machines and help you develop a way to track your progress. You get the services of a personal trainer and a fitness center all for the introductory price of $nada. For six months, your out-of-pocket expenses are $0, so you can determine for yourself it this is really valuable to you. From that time on, there will be a monthly fee of $10—a price far below any other full-range exercise facility in the Twin Cities.
An open fitness studio room has also been created allowing for group exercise and movement sessions, such as yoga, zumba, tai chi, salsa dancing, kick boxing and floor exercises and others as we grow. Efforts are underway to find revenue sources to cover the costs of these programs as well or to provide space for an instructor who already has a revenue source for conducting classes and group sessions. There will be a calendar of events/classes at Running Wolf starting in November. So come and check it out!
Once the rest of the Phillips Community Center opens up, there will be ongoing efforts to create a “wellness mall” that includes opportunities for healthy eating, education and support and a range of recreational activities consistent with being located in a Minneapolis Park Board building. Running Wolf also has classroom space and will be conducting six-week Living in Balance workshops developed by Stanford University for learning how to manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease etc.
Drive & Fright Night
Drive
“Drive”(2011)
****1/2
Cast: Ryan Gosling (Driver), Carey Mulligan (Irene), Bryan Cranston (Shannon), Albert Brooks (Bernie Ross), Christina Hendricks (Blance), Ron Perlman (Nino). (R) Running time: 100 minutes. Director: Nicolas Winding Refn.
Ryan Gosling is just known as ‘Driver’, a stunt driver on Hollywood movie sites. At night, he’s a getaway expert for robbers. Gosling’s double life reminds me of Andreas Lust’s double life as marathon runner-bank robber in the German film “The Robber”(2010).
Driver works with Shannon (Bryan Cranston), a mechanic and convinces a gangster, Bernie Ross (Albert Brooks), to back Driver with a race car. Meanwhile, Bernie’s crime buddy Nino (Ron Perlman) isn’t convinced though about buying driver the race car. After all, it’s usually the case in crime movies when one or more guys are suspicious of another criminal on the other side of the fence.
Driver’s neighbor is sweet Irene Carey (Carey Mulligan) with a small son, Benicio (Kaden Leos), anticipating her husband, Standard (Oscar Issac), will get out of jail. When he gets out of jail, the criminals come after him for money he owes them. The criminals threaten Standard’s family unless he does a job for them. Driver provides the getaway car. By now what seems like a piece of cake abruptly becomes mayhem and bloodshed for Driver who’s trying to protect Standard, Irene and Benicio and by the same token vanquish his antagonists.
Fine acting by a smooth but deadly Gosling, a refined Mulligan, a juicy Brooks and a professional killer Perlman. Stylistic, high-octane crime film with finesse by Refn.
A Process for Valuing the Work in the Backyard Initiative
By Janice Barbee, Cultural Wellness Center
When the Backyard Initiative began three years ago, residents of the neighborhoods of Central, Corcoran, East Phillips, Midtown Phillips, Phillips West, Powderhorn Park, and Ventura Village were invited to a meeting to look at Allina’s plans for improving the health of the residents. One of the central messages of that meeting was that community residents need to be active participants in that planning and in the implementing of any health-improvement projects. People are tired of programs that are done for them, or to them, or on their behalf. People want to present their own ideas based on their own experiences. People want to participate in projects that involve and impact what they care most about, what they most value. And the evaluation process for reflecting on the learning and identifying and assessing the accomplishments must be owned and implemented primarily by the participants themselves. Only then can the process support improvement of the projects and help others in the community to learn how not to repeat the same mistakes and to build upon what residents have developed.
Citizen Health Action Teams (CHATs) have been implemented in the Backyard area over the past year, and CHAT members are now going through a reflection process to harvest what they have learned, what they have achieved, and what they will do differently going forward to most effectively improve the health of the community. The Dakota Language Revitalization CHAT was the first CHAT to be approved by the Community Commission on Health (made of up members from each CHAT), and the members of this CHAT were the first to go through this reflection process. As part of this process, they answered the following questions: Read the rest of this entry »
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Occupation Time
Just moments ago I witnessed a national TV news report which exposed the deliberate short supply of chemotherapy drugs made available for children. Profits before people…
Yet the ongoing protests against corporate greed lack a clear set of demands. Sure, the slogan “Power to The People” has merit. But what? Does the banner “Revolution Not Reform” really lead us to “Revolution Now!”?
The fact remains: There can be no fundamental change without the participation and consent of many millions of people. Moreover, us “masses” are drawn to the class struggle in the first place on the basis of intermediate demands which taken separately do constitute “mere” reforms.
With the above thought in mind, the CPUSA has issued a brochure under the caption “SAVE OUR NATION!” It contains the following points: Read the rest of this entry »