News

Katie McWatt: principled civic leadership

Friday, 23 April 2010 12:25

On Monday, April 26th, the Twin Cities is celebrating the life of Katie McWatt, noted advocate for civil and human rights, community empowerment and development, a meaningful education system and a just legal system. McWatt, a lifelong resident of Minnesota, died Monday after an extended illness.

Services for Katie McWatt are, 9:30-10:30 am Monday, April 26 at St. Peter Claver Church, 1060 West Central, St. Paul. Visitation Service begins at 10:30 am. McWatt's Community Celebration follow, 2-5 pm, at Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Pkwy, North, St. Paul.

Doll Carter: principled civic leadership

Friday, 23 April 2010 12:05

Lenora “Doll” Carter, publisher of Houston Forward Times newspaper, and treasure of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) – the Black Press of America, died early this month at her home in Houston, TX.

“I am deeply saddened at the unfortunate passing of my good friend and ‘sister in the struggle,’ Lenora “Doll” Carter,” said John B. Smith, Sr., publisher of the Atlanta Inquirer newspaper and former NNPA chairman. “Lenora championed African American achievement, overall and she personified distinctive grace, character and style as a ‘chaplain for the common good’. As treasurer of our newspaper federation, Lenora was an exemplary steward.”

Immigration reform now top priority 

Friday, 23 April 2010 11:48 Al McFarlane  Editor-in-Chief

With health care reform in the “done” column, the White House and Congress should tackle long-overdue immigration policy reform, say media, legal and community service leaders.

Joined by Cara Huang, the immigration issues expert on US Rep. Mike Honda’s (D-CA) Washington DC staff, editors and publishers of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium engaged a leading immigration law expert, a successful naturalized immigrant businessman and a Somali elder whose community service organization provides support to immigrants from throughout Africa, in a broadcast forum on immigration policy.

Andrew Velasquez III named FEMA regional administrator

Thursday, 22 April 2010 13:28

WASHINGTON - President Obama's has appointed Andrew Velasquez III as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator for Region V, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

"Regional Administrators are crucial to our ability to respond effectively to emergencies based on the needs of the communities we serve," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "Andrew Velasquez is not only an experienced emergency manager with deep roots in the region, but also a dedicated public servant. His knowledge and experience make him uniquely qualified to help lead our efforts there."

Camden scholar advocates Christian activism

Thursday, 22 April 2010 12:20 Kam Williams

What ordinarily comes to mind when one thinks of a lecture about medieval Europe is a talk a lot less relevant to present-day worldly concerns than the keynote speech recently delivered by Prof. Celia Chazelle at a conference held at University College Cork entitled “Envisioning Christ on the Cross.” Chazelle, who chairs the Department of History at The College of New Jersey, had been invited to Ireland to speak about “The Mass and the Eucharist, ‘Image’ of the Crucified Christ, in the Christianization of Early Medieval Europe.”

While the bulk of her otherwise academic address certainly explored that topic at considerable depth, she prefaced her remarks by reading a poem by her Irish-born pastor, Father Michael Doyle, about the seeming futility of the never-ending fight to eradicate the suffering evident in his midst. For 35 years now, Doyle has presided over Sacred Heart Church in Camden, the poorest city in the US, where over 90% of the population is Black and Hispanic.

Ellison receives housing leadership award

Thursday, 22 April 2010 12:17

US Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) recently received the 2010 Edward W. Brooke III Housing Leadership Award from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) for advancing the cause of affordable housing.

Ellison was recognized for his authorship of the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 that became federal law under the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009. According to this legislation, tenants who are current on their rent payments have the right to stay in their home that enters foreclosure for 90 days or through the end of their lease. According to the NLIHC, 40 percent of foreclosed properties nationwide were occupied by tenants. In Minneapolis, this rate was over 60 percent. These protections are set to expire at the end of 2012.

Dr. Dorothy Height—Extraordinary leader, lantern, and role model

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 14:03 Marian Wright Edelman

“We African American Women seldom do just what we want to do, but always what we have to do. I am grateful to have been in a time and place where I could be a part of what was needed.”

This is the quote inscribed on Dr. Dorothy Height’s Congressional Gold Medal, just one of the many dozens of awards Dr. Height received over her extraordinary life, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The brilliant Dr. Height was a lantern and role model for millions of women and a long haul social change agent blessed with uncommon commitment and talent. Her fingerprints are quietly embedded in many of the transforming events of the last seven decades as Blacks, women, and children pushed open and walked through previously closed doors of opportunity. To me she was a dearest friend, mentor, and role model, and the Children’s Defense Fund was blessed to have her serve on our board for over 30 years. When she passed away on April 20 at age 98, we all lost a treasure, a wise counselor, and a rock we could always lean against for support in tough times.

Your legal rights: Beware of tax relief scams

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 13:45 From the Office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson

If you have unpaid tax obligations and are looking for help to resolve them, you should be careful to avoid hiring tax relief companies that charge you money to help you but end up making a bad situation worse.

Beware of Bogus Promises to Settle Your Tax Obligations.
Some companies seek to exploit the fact that some Minnesotans are behind on their taxes. Some companies have television advertising campaigns that lure customers with claims that the companies have special expertise or knowledge that enables them to settle customers’ tax obligations for pennies on the dollar. The companies may require the consumer to pay up-front fees of $3,000 or more. Once the consumer pays the money, however, some companies fail to deliver the promised services. Some do nothing at all. Other companies will send a consumer forms to apply to the IRS for an “Offer in Compromise,” which the company knows will be rejected because of the IRS’s strict guidelines for debt forgiveness under that program (see below). The end result: the consumer is now $3,000 or more in the hole.

Mind Condition on Mo'Nique show

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 12:41

Tune into BET on Tuesday, April 20th at 11:00 p.m EST/10:00 p.m. CST to see Mint Condition on the Mo'Nique Show!!

NAACP dismisses lawsuit against Wells Fargo

Friday, 16 April 2010 12:49

The NAACP announced that it is ending its lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Since 2007, the NAACP has filed lawsuits against more than a dozen of the largest financial institutions alleging violations of the Fair Housing and Equal Credit Opportunity Acts and racial discrimination.

Unlike other pending lawsuits that seek monetary damages on behalf of individual borrowers, the NAACP lawsuits seek to change mortgage lending industry behaviors.

Unemployment rate at 7.4 percent in March

Thursday, 15 April 2010 17:50

Employers cut 1,800 jobs last month~

ST. PAUL - The state unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 7.4 percent in March, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

The U.S. rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent in March for the third consecutive month.

The state lost 1,800 jobs in March. February's employment count was revised to reflect 1,600 jobs lost instead of the 3,400 jobs that were previously reported lost. Over the past year, Minnesota has lost 1.6 percent of its jobs, while the U.S. lost 1.7 percent of its jobs during that period.

"The March figures demonstrate that economic recoveries are not smooth processes, with some months stronger than others," said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. "Still, we're seeing some positive trends in Minnesota's employment picture, including an increase in the labor force and the length of the average work week, and steady declines in year-over-year job losses."