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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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The History and Legacy of the Indian Residential School at the University of Minnesota Morris

1/2/2022

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January 10 at 7pm LWV ABC is honored to host Janet Ericson, Acting Chancellor of the University of Minnesota Morris and Jennifer Smith, Director of Indian Education for Minneapolis Public Schools.  

 Dr. Ericson will introduce the background of the Indian Residential schools that operated at Morris and the challenges with learning more about them, including locating any unmarked burials, if they exist. She will  summarize what has been learned from various partners in this work over the last few years.  UMN Morris alumni, Jennifer Simon, who is 
Director of Indian Education for Minneapolis Public Schools and serves on the UMN Morris American Indian Advisory Committee, will then speak on the “Impact & Trauma of Boarding Schools on Our Youth Today." 
From the University of Minnesota Morris website: We recognize that "The social, emotional, spiritual, and cultural devastation from boarding school experiences have passed down to Native American individuals, families, communities and Tribal Nations today." 
Click here to join the meeting on January 10 at 7pm
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Janet Ericson, Acting Chancellor, University of Minnesota Morris
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Jennifer Simon, Director of Indian Education for Minneapolis Public Schools
​The University of Minnesota has named Janet Schrunk Ericksen as acting chancellor for the Morris campus.
Ericksen has most recently served as vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for the Morris campus. She assumed the role of acting chancellor on July 1, 2021. 

Ericksen began her career at UMN Morris in 1998 as an assistant professor of English. Since then she has held a variety of administrative roles, including director of the Honors Program, chair of the Division of the Humanities, and interim chair of the Division of the Social Sciences. Ericksen was named vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean in 2020. Additionally, she has been an active participant in University of Minnesota governance, including as a University Senator and two terms as a member of the Faculty Consultative Committee.

Ericksen is a member of the University of Minnesota Academy of Distinguished Teachers, a recipient of the University of Minnesota Morris Alumni Association Teaching Award, and the author of Reading Old English Biblical Poetry (U Toronto Press 2020).
  Jennifer Simon (Mnicoujou Lakota) is an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.  She was raised on her home reservation with her large extended family and tight community.  She moved to Minnesota for college and attended University of Minnesota Morris and later Minnesota State University where she earned a masters degree.   While attending college, Jennifer worked as a student worker and graduate assistant in UMM Minority Student Program and MSU’s Institutional Diversity programs that led to her ongoing work in higher education equity, most recently at Augsburg University that moved her and her family to the metro area in 2007. 

​In fall of 2019, she made the decision to continue her commitment and passion of equity and working within her community with a move from higher ed to Prek-12 public education as the Director of American Indian Education with Minneapolis Public Schools.  Jennifer is also an adjunct faculty member of Augsburg University and as a former athlete she continues coaching and mentoring young athletes on the side.  Jennifer and her family, including what she sees as her greatest joy in life, her son, Isaiah and her daughter, Mariah, reside in Brooklyn Park.
For further information:
​https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2016/06/sad-legacy-american-indian-boarding-schools-minnesota-and-us/ 

​https://www.minnpost.com/national/2021/07/federal-government-looks-to-address-the-legacy-of-indian-boarding-schools-including-in-minnesota/

​https://morris.umn.edu/morris-boarding-schools

​https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/the-history-of-minnesotas-native-american-boarding-schools/89-78048d07-1af1-475f-bf15-0a47fc59bfe6

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/10/26/a-reckoning-monastic-order-apologizes-for-native-boarding-school

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/06/22/us-official-to-address-legacy-of-indigenous-boarding-schools​
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Get Involved!

10/31/2021

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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 lwvabc@gmail.com. 

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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 lwvcnhepr@lwvmn.org.  ​

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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 lwvabc@gmail.com.

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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
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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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