‘Miscellany’ Archives
“It”'s time to move up to the next level.”
”“ Muriel Simmons June 2, 1939 ”“ January 15, 2013 By Harvey Winje A Memorial Tribute, Celebration, and Funeral of Muriel Barnes Simmons was Monday, January 21, 2013; the same day as: 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, 50th Anniversary of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2013, 2nd Inauguration of 44th President Barack Hussein Obama. It was a remarkable coincidence with similar characteristics of organizing, struggling for freedom, uncommon accomplishments, and all promising hope for increased peace and justice. In Minneapolis, scores of mourners of Muriel”'s death and celebrants of Muriel”'s life, having endured the subzero weather to honor Muriel and support one another, heard Messiah Lutheran Church Pastor Lee Cunningham repeat Muriel”˜s oft-repeated words, “it”'s time to move up to the next level.” Muriel knew when the time was right and had the [...]
The Snow Cone Cart Story: “Stay Cool and Help”¦”
By Dallas Johnson For the 2011 Bridging Festival, I wrote a neighborhood skit called “The Snow Cone Cart” to honor Muriel”'s community activism. Earlier in the day, Bart Buch from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre had neighbors write messages on white cloth with images of snow cones. Then we gathered in an empty lot on 5th Ave and, with Bart as director, the skit began with Muriel”'s grand kids playing with a big red ball. They heard groaning and looked over to see a bunch of adults trapped under a thick, black tarp. The kids ran over and heard adults grumbling, “I”'m scared! This is horrible! It”'s so dangerous! Why doesn”'t somebody DO something?”. The kids tried to help, to no avail, then ran over to Muriel. They gathered around her rocking chair and said, “The adults are stuck! What do we do?”. Muriel answered, “We gotta stay cool and help each other out”. The kids shared her message loudly, “WE [...]
