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  LWV Upper Mississippi River Region

LWV ABC Blog

One Perspective on Disablity

5/26/2022

 
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Keah Brown is a disability advocate and freelance writer who is best known for creating the viral hashtag #DisabledAndCute to dispel the myth that being disabled and attractive are mutually exclusive. Pop culture is one of her passions and she works to increase the visibility of people with disabilities in media in hopes it might shift the cultural view of disability.

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While Brown does not pretend to speak for all people with disabilities, her essays in The Pretty One, the LWV ABC May Book Club selection, raise some interesting points to think about:

  • She prefers the term “disabled”.  She views terms such as “handi-capable”, “differently abled” and “special needs” as coined to make abled bodied people more comfortable.
  •  “Disabled” acknowledges difference and when we acknowledge difference we must acknowledge the privilege that comes with being abled bodied.
  • What she needs as a disabled person are her rights, respect and opportunity, not pity or unsolicited advice about how to “cure” her disability.
  • Societal norms value constant movement and equate stillness with laziness which results in disabled people pushing themselves beyond healthy limits in order to be valued.
  • We live in a world that designs things under the assumption that everybody is able-bodied and fully functioning at all times.
  • Media portrayals of people with disabilities spend too much time making everything about the disability, so much so that the character stops being a person and just becomes the disability.
  • On TV shows disability is a joke and a horror.  Disability is punishment.
  • She has yet to see herself, a black disabled woman, reflected in any media portrayal.  In Hollywood, “disabled” is usually a white man in a wheelchair.
Read more of Keah Brown’s perspective on disability:
  • Disability Representation and the Problem with “Inspiration Porn”
  • Disabled People Are Not an Inconvenience
  • Saying Stephen Hawking Is "Free" From His Wheelchair Is Ableist
  • Disabled People Love Clothes Too​
Keah Brown has cerebral palsy, which causes her disability.  Here's a website that provides information on identifying and living with CP: ​ birthinjurycenter.org/cerebral-palsy/
Join the LWV ABC Book and Film Club Discussions!  
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What does it mean to be AAPI in Minnesota right now?

5/26/2022

 
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In May 2021, Sahan Journal and MPR News collaborated on series called ChangeMakers to ask this question.

 Civil Rights Organizer Bo Thao-Urabe described the Minnesota AAPI community as unique with over 60% are  Southeast Asians who came post the wars in Southeast Asia - Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and Myanmar – compared to only 10% from Southeast Asian in most states. Minnesota also has a high number of adoptions of Chinese and Korean (15,000) babies, as well as “Medical Alley” that is now bringing in a lot of educated workers from China and India. Lily Tung Crystal of Theater Mu noted that “one of the reasons why we think that the violence is happening is because other people often see Asian Americans as not truly American, or other, or even subhuman.” Community Organizer Anthea Yur wants the Asian community to confront racism head on and hoped “that we can start breaking this narrative of being the model minorities, being considered subservient. When your parents are first-generation immigrants, there is a level of survival that you’re taught. You’re taught not to resist.”

Read the complete ChangeMaker series at Sahan Journal:
  • My celebration of AAPI Heritage Month
  • Activist and organizer Anthea Yur wants the Asian community in Minnesota to confront racism head on
  •  ‘America is not somebody else; America is us’: Civil rights organizer Bo Thao-Urabe wants Minnesota to measure success differently
  • Theater Mu’s Lily Tung Crystal: The more people hear Asian Americans’ stories, the more they will treat us as the true Americans we really are
  • Chef Yia Vang on his Minnesota Rice initiative, discovering his father’s heroism, and what he  tells the kids with the ‘stinky’ lunches​
Find out more about Asian American history:
  • A 1911 Report Set America On a Path of Screening Out ‘Undesirable’ Immigrants – Smithsonian
  • The Two Asian Americas – New Yorker
JOIN THE LWV ABC BOOK AND FILM CLUB DISCUSSIONS!  
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Celebrate Pride Month

5/26/2022

 
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June is Pride Month, a month focused on the visibility of LGBTQ+ people and celebrating movement toward equality.  June was chosen to celebrated Pride to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, often considered the start of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.

In the 1960's, in many cities, including New York, bars could lose their liquor license for simply serving gay patrons.  A 1967 New York Court of Appeals decision opened bars to gay patrons, but bars could still lose their liquor license if patrons engaged in "disorderly conduct".  Given that homosexuality was still criminalized, law enforcement interpreted "disorderly conduct" to mean same sex kissing, holding hands or dancing.  In response, the Mafia opened private bottle clubs, including the Stonewall Inn, which did not require a liquor license because patrons were supposed to bring their own liquor.

In the early hours of June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn and arrested 13 people, including employees for bootleg liquor and patrons for violating the state's gender-appropriate clothing statute.  Patrons who refused to disburse and neighborhood residents became increasingly agitated as patrons were aggressively manhandled by police, sparking violence by the bystanders.  Protests, sometimes violent, continued over the next six days, sometimes involving several thousand people.  The protests received almost no news coverage but were a catalyst for organizing for LGBTQ+ rights.  Within a year of Stonewall, LGBTQ+ rights organizations rose from about 50 in 1968 to over 1000 organizations.  

The first gay Pride parade was held in New York City in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising.  The term "Pride" was coined by Craig Schoonmaker, one of the organizers of the parade "not as a slogan so much as an understanding that people should be proud and not ashamed".  Pride parades are now held throughout the world, with 5 million people attending the 2019 WorldPride parade in New York City.

In 2016, the Stonewall Inn and surrounding area were declared a National Monument. 

Learn more about LGBTQ+ Civil Rights in the 1960s and early 1970’s:
  • Listen to or read Remembering a 1966 'Sip-In' for Gay Rights
  • Read How Liquor Licenses Sparked the Stonewall Riots
  • Read The Forgotten History of Gay Entrapment
  • Read The Same Sex Couple who got a Marriage License in 1971
  • Watch our LWV ABC film club selection Before Stonewall (1984) currently available on Kanopy.
  • Watch the documentary The Stonewall Uprising currently available for free viewing on PBS.
  • Watch the National Park Service Series on the Stonewall National Monument (15 five minute videos)
 
Learn more about Pride Month:
  • Read LGBTQ+ Pride Flags and What They Stand For
  • Read the National Park Service Series Pride Through the Decades
  • Listen to the Allusionist “Pride” Podcast or read the Allusionist “Pride” transcript to learn about the origins of the term.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Get Involved!

10/31/2021

 
DEI Chairperson needed!  Take the DEI survey!  Join the DEI Roundtable! 
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 LWV ABC seeks a Chair for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Committee
 
In April 2021, LWV ABC membership added a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to our bylaws in keeping with the updated LWVUS bylaws.  Following our annual membership meeting, the LWV ABC Board created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.  (See Duties of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in our online Member Handbook). 
 
The LWV ABC Board appointed new member Shalonda Gordon as DEI chair.  Shalonda brought a wealth of DEI experience and training to the position.  Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for Shalonda, she was offered a great career opportunity in North Carolina in August and has since moved to there.
 
Therefore,  LWV ABC is seeking a new chair for our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.  If you are interested in chairing this vital committee or want more information about this opportunity, send an email to [email protected]. 

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DEI Membership Survey (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)
 
Prior to her move to North Carolina, Shalonda had begun work on a DEI survey.  DEI surveys help organizations benchmark the current status of DEI within the organization and develop a DEI program.
 
Please complete our DEI survey at https://forms.gle/mEgAYk8C5HmfFVHR6
 
 
DEI Roundtable (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)
 
Membership Chair Pat Kennedy has begun attending the DEI Roundtable sponsored by LWV Crystal New Hope East Plymouth Robbinsdale (CNHEPR) on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6:30pm.  The meeting is open to all LWV members to start the conversation about what it means to implement a DEI policy and how to turn those words into action. The purpose of the roundtable is to have a candid conversation in order to exchange ideas, talk about what has worked in reaching underserved communities, discuss the challenges, and even get some ideas for "homework".  If you are interested in attending the DEI roundtable, please contact Michelle Jayne at [email protected].  ​

LWV Minnesota - DEI workshops from the 2021 Convention

7/31/2021

 
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LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in principle and in practice. DEI is central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.

Most LWVMN Convention 2021 Workshops and Roundtables were recorded and can be watched on the LWVMN Convention 2021 webpage.  DEI related recordings:
  • Working Intergenerationally to Take Action at the Local Level: Police Reform Efforts in Northfield
  • Bringing DEI to Life (audio only)
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Another workshop held at LWVMN Convention 2021, Feminism in Black and White, was a discussion workshop limited to 25 people and was not recorded. Discussion centered on the Duke University podcast Scene on Radio: Season 4: The Land That Never Has Been Yet, Episode 5 Feminism in Black and White.  Other episodes of the Scene on Radio Podcast recommended to attendees of the workshop:
  • Season 2: Seeing White, Episode 13 White Affirmative Action
  • Season 4: The Land That Never Has Been Yet, Episode 4 The Second Revolution
  • Season 3: MEN, Episode 4, Feminism in Black and White
 
Articles recommended on the resource list from the Feminism in Black and White Workshop:
  • Why Feminism Needs To Be An Anti-Racist Movement – article
  • Black Women Share Their Stories About White Feminists Excluding Them From The Feminist Movement - article
  • Why We Are Only Truly Feminist If We Are Also Antiracist – article
 
Do you have an article, podcast or video you would like to share with members?   Email your suggestions to [email protected].

Anti-racism Resources - June 2021

6/7/2021

 
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Ramsey County Library co-sponsors a number of events with community organizations with some funding from the Minnesota Arts Board through the Legacy Amendment.  Many presentations are videotaped but are not all on the same website – see
Ramsey County Library Website,   Ramsey County Library YouTube Video and NineNorth Cable.   Upcoming events can be found at Ramsey County Library Events.

Tuesday with a Scholar, cosponsored with Osher Life Long Leaning Institute, is a weekly program in which Twin Cities experts present a wide variety of topics.  Some recommendations follow...

  •  History of Socioeconomic Status or 'Class' in America - Prof. Duchess Harris, Macalester College
  • LGBTQ+ History in Minnesota - Robert Frame, Normandale Community College Mapping Prejudice in Minneapolis - Kirsten Delegard, Director of The Mapping Prejudice Project
  • Somalis in Minnesota – Past and Present - Ibrahim Hirsi, University of Minnesota – November 2019
 
The Ask Series was co-sponsored by Do Good Roseville.  Some recommendations from the series:
                      Ask an Indigenous Person
                     Ask a LGBTQIA Person
                    Ask a Muslim Woman Part-2
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The LWV Upper Mississippi River Region Inter-League Organization is a member of the Mississippi River Network (MRN), a coalition of 57 non-profits and businesses with a goal of protecting the land, water and people of the Mississippi River.  MRN is dedicated in supporting their River Citizen community in being actively anti-racist and creating an inclusive, safe, and equitable Mississippi River for all.  MRN’s Anti-Racism Hub , added to monthly, includes many resources related to environmental justice.  Some recommendations:

                     Unequal Impact: The Deep Links between Racism and Climate Change – article
                     How a climate plan in Minneapolis fostered racial divisions – article
                     Why Every Environmentalist Should Be Anti-Racist – article
 
Do you have an article, podcast or video you would like to share with members?   Email your suggestions to [email protected].

Anti-racism Resources - April 2021

3/15/2021

 
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March is Women’s History Month and the Minnesota History Center opened both its Extraordinary Women exhibit and continues to highlight  extraordinary Minnesota women in its online Votes For Women exhibit.   Some history articles highlighting extraordinary Minnesota women:
  • Lena Olive Smith: A Minnesota Civil Rights Pioneer
  • Nellie Griswold Francis: the Vicissitudes of Activism for Women and Race
  • Minneapolis’ Phyllis Wheatley House served as a community center for the city’s African American community
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LWV ABC’s April Book Club selection “Sisters in Hate” focuses on three women involved in the white nationalist movement.  Some other resources  related to white supremacy in the US:
  • Capitol mob wasn’t just angry men – there were angry women as well  - article
  • The long history of US racism against Asian Americans, from ‘yellow peril’ to ‘model minority’ to the ‘Chinese virus’   - article
  • One flag, one school, one language: Minnesota's Ku Klux Klan in the 1920’s – MNHS history article
  • Sounds Like Hate, produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center,  is an audio documentary series about the dangers and peril of everyday people who engage in white supremacy extremism, and ways to disengage them from a life of hatred.  Links are for online listening.  Also available as a podcast.
    • Getting Out, Part I and II
    • Not Okay, Part I and II
    • Baseless, Part I and II

Anti-racism Resources - March 2021

3/15/2021

 
March marks the 56th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March.  Some resources to supplement our February Film Club selection of Selma (2014): 

Selma - The Bridge to the Ballot  - 43 minute documentary
The Selma Voting Rights Struggle: 15 Key Points from Bottom-Up History - article
Why Diane Nash is Selma’s Best Supporting Role – article

 
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Podcasts are a great way to discover a variety of BIPOC voices and viewpoints. The links below are for online listening. Podcasts may also be listened to or downloaded to a smartphone using a podcast app such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcast or Spotify.   If you enjoy the recommended episode, all the podcasts have additional episodes available.
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Asian Enough Podcast
Jen Yamato and Frank Shyong interview fellow Asian-Americans centered around the questions, "Am I Asian enough? Am I American enough?"
A Conversation with Director Jon M. Chu - 2020
 
Code Switch Podcast
Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby welcome guests to explore how issues of race and identity manifest in every corner of American culture, from music to poetry to sports.
Who’s Black Enough for Reparations? – Feb 2021
 
Coffee with My Ma Podcast
Canadian actress Kaniehtiio Horn records the stories of her mother Kahn-Tineta Horn, a 1960’s model and lifelong Mohawk rights activist - “inspiring, funny, emotional”.
Episode 1 - Ma Takes On the Toronto Telegram
 
MPR News with Angela Davis Podcast
Conversations about life in Minnesota and how the state is changing.
Renewed conversations about racial justice – January 18, 2021
 
Tamarindo Podcast
Hosts Ana Sheila Victorino and Brenda Gonzalez bring a Latinx perspective to current events and culture.
Reflecting on the term BIPOC, Race, and Identity – November 2020
 
Yo, is this Racist? Podcast
Actress and musician Tawny Newsome, writer Andrew Ti, both professional comedians, and a weekly guest provide funny-yet-thoughtful responses to voicemails from people wondering whether a given situation is racist.  (Note:  Discussion on the nuances of racism are very informative but this podcast may not be for you if you find swearing offensive.)
Anti-Mitten Twitter with Joey Clift – January 2021
 
Submit your recommendations for articles, blogs, video, podcasts, etc. to [email protected]
Write: RECOMMENDATION in caps in the subject line

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Book and Film Club

Book and Film Club
See our website calendar  more information about upcoming books and film, including were to watch and the Zoom link for our discussion.  Email reminders are only sent to members, but everyone is welcome to join us.
 
March Film and Book Selections:​
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NOTE: March’s film selection Malcolm X is only available for free viewing by requesting a DVD from the library.
April Film and Book Selections
​The book “Sisters in Hate” may have a short waiting list at the library so get your requests in now. The film “I am Not Your Negro” has multiple options for free streaming online.
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Anti-Racism Resources - February 2021

1/20/2021

 
Anti-racism is the act of opposing racism/white supremacy in all forms - in our society, other people, and ourselves.  It is about identifying the root causes of racism and putting an end to them.  A critical part of anti-racism is self-education - educating yourself without placing the burden of your education on Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).  In that spirit, we are asking you to educate yourself and share resources you found helpful or insightful to help others continue their antiracism self-education.  
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 In January 2021,  Twin Cities PBS launched Racism Unveiled, a multimedia, multiplatform storytelling project which will examine the impact of systemic racism on Black, Indigenous and communities of color in Minnesota, how racial inequities came to be, how they hold us back and what we can do about them. The two year project is “a platform for people of color to share the honest truth about their experiences in this state and to find a way forward together.”'
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Some Racism Unveiled recommendations:
Explore a Racial Awakening in a Small Minnesota Town article and short video
Tethered: How Race and Policing Binds Minneapolis to Louisville article
Jim Crow of the North  - 1 hour documentary on redlining in Minnesota 

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A blog to follow with good anti-racism resources is Real Talk: WOC and Allies.   
Real Talk: WOC & Allies is the voices of women of color (WOC) and allies working against racism and oppression. Great blog to learn more about being antiracist.
 
Some Real Talk: WOC & Allies recommendations:
  • An Open Letter to White People on the Murder of Philando Castile – blog post on equality, equity and silence
  • Holy Shit, Being An Ally Isn’t About Me!  -  blog post on learning to be an ally
  • Real Talk White Women Were Asked If They Have Real Friendships With WOC  - blog post on how to be a better ally/friend.

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More Articles

The Perils of “People of Color” by E. Tammy Kim
For Black Women in Media, a “Dream Job” Is a Myth by Kathleen Newman-Bremang
White Millennials Are Products of a Failed Lesson in Colorblindness by Mychal Denzel Smith
 
Submit your recommendations for articles, blogs, video, podcasts, etc. to [email protected]
Write: RECOMMENDATION in caps in the subject line

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    LWV ABC serves most of Anoka County and the city of Champlin in northern Hennepin Couny, Minnesota.  

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