Author Archive
How We Get to the End (because we’re not there yet)
TIPS FROM A COVID-19 CASE INVESTIGATOR By LINDSEY FENNER Now that COVID vaccines are much more easily available in Minnesota, we have reached what is perhaps the hardest part of this enormous vaccination task: reaching the folks who waited or haven”™t quite made up their minds or still have questions. And as much information as any government public health official can send out in the world, YOU can make a difference by having conversations with loved ones about getting vaccinated. These conversations might be difficult. And it will likely take more than one conversation. But this is how we get to the end of the pandemic. Some tips for having these difficult yet crucial discussions Listen with empathy and without judgement: These vaccines are new. There is so much information and misinformation about them, it can be overwhelming. It is understandable that people have questions or anxiety about getting their shot. Give folks space to talk it out. Ask [...]
Cemeteries: The Modern Day Urban Park
TALES FROM PIONEERS AND SOLDIERS MEMORIAL CEMETERY 187th IN A SERIES By OLGA ACUNA Photo by Megan Voorhees What began as a class project addressing environmental injustice in the East Phillips neighborhood steadily flourished into an Arbor Day celebration at the notable Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery on the intersection of Cedar Ave and Lake St. On Saturday May 1st, over 60 volunteers from the surrounding community gathered at the cemetery to aid in the planting of over 50 trees throughout the 27 acres of green space. On one of the warmest days of the Spring season, this resilient intergenerational group of volunteers worked through the heat together to nurture the Earth by planting trees with help from arborists from the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation. Volunteers later gathered around for an ethereal blessing of the tree performance which included two deer puppets, bells, and poetry all done by the Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts. The event [...]
The Other Pandemic, Violence Against Women
By Marco Dávila C. HER NAME IS YADHIRA ROMERO MARTĺNEZ Let”™s imagine how great would be the indignation in the mainstream media if the murdered young woman, instead of being a Mexican with US Citizenship, had been the daughter of the governor, the president, or some millionaire or celebrity? She never returned home. Yadhira Romero Martinez lived in Morelos, Mexico with her parents. Recently she traveled to Minnesota, her place of birth. She was 19 years old. She was found dead in a house in Powderhorn Neighborhood (E Lake Street and 18th Avenue South).It is a systemic problem. Of course, a murderer is a murderer and should pay for their crime. But it is also imperative to turn and see the circumstances and causes, and ask ourselves how we can prevent these horrible murders, instead of holding to the conservative idea that simply putting people in prison solves all problems.Femicide is a pandemic that ends women”™s lives. “In 2011 [...]
