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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/entry_id/1012162-Complexity-Follows
Rated: 18+ · Book · Music · #2231553
Fictitious and delicious!
#1012162 added June 20, 2021 at 8:09pm
Restrictions: None
Complexity Follows
[excerpt from Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine]

What surprised you the most in the process of the Community Activist Roundtable discussions?

Stephanie Powers: I didn't expect such a large religious presence across all demographics. That presence made me notice the absence of the secular community, and that was unsettling. I know that the Black community still has a strong connection between church and community. This makes it difficult for minority atheists or secular people to feel empowered enough to speak up. We could use more support with getting active secular groups back in action so secular minorities have a safe space to gather their thoughts before going into larger roundtable discussions.

Javon Pearson: The fact that Indigenous representation at these meetings was not as easy to see compared to other groups. It took some time to find ways to help more members of the Indigenous community get involved in these discussions and speak up. A couple of them confided in me that they still felt a bit of resentment about being shoehorned into some progressive talking points right after the riots. Hearing that was hard, but it was also something that had to be done.

Lilia Martinez: Seeing the stark differences in where people live and their perception of the city coming to the aid of their neighborhoods. I was surprised to learn how the community organizations based in North Minneapolis were more willing to work with corporate partners because the city put so much focus on the neighborhoods around Lake Street. I think this is something that caught a lot of South Minneapolis residents off guard.

Jonathan McNamara: That some residents of more affluent neighborhoods didn't realize how some of their yard signs came across to their neighbors and other residents of Minneapolis. I saw quite a few red faces when several different people pointed out how signs that said 'Don't bulldoze my city' implied that these particular residents were emphasizing aesthetics over making sure people have safe places to live. It was also revealing to see them comprehend how pushing back on the Minneapolis 2040 Plan basically encouraged the old redlining boundaries.

Sondra Daniels: The Roundtable participants are becoming more and more diverse with each session. I know that we were seeing more allyship from the white community in the immediate after math of the riots, but these roundtables are encouraging more direct participation than expected. This has been especially helpful for the city nonprofits in getting additional donations and volunteers. I don't how much of it might be guilt driven, but it might be less than some cynics might think, especially since we're getting some white participants who regularly attend the meetings and bring more and more friends along each time.



What changes would you like to see in coverage of addressing racial issues in the metro area and/or Community Activist Roundtable activities?

Charlie Dang: A lot of businesses are being held hostage in their recovery process due to landlords located outside of Minnesota. We need a bigger push to have more local land ownership for both housing and commercial properties. This will help us make decisions more quickly and act sooner to remedy things such as building health and safety issues.

Ahmed Sool: While there are a lot of people under the age of 40 participating in the Roundtables, they are not interviewed by the local TV stations of newspapers nearly as much as those who are more middle aged. The youth need to see their friends and peers participating in this process.

Kendra Johnson: The younger generation is really starting to get that this is a long process and that there are a lot of different community needs that we have to consider. Please try to exercise a bit of grace with us, as this is a learning process for us. Many of us have become rather cynical about this whole process, and it's a lot to reconcile that with the fact that some seemingly minor but useful headway has been made throughout the years.

Aaron Rudie: What we do here does have an impact on Greater Minnesota. The sooner the cities get to an even healthier state, the sooner we can provide rural areas with additional assistance. Additionally, addressing systemic racism can make it easier for minorities that want to move outstate can do so and save some rural communities that are at risk of dying off.

Felicia Amgatz-Carlton: The history of the riots is still under-discussed at the national level. While the Roundtable is accelerating long term recovery for the city, the details of exactly how the city got to this point are very muddled in national coverage. I've had to explain to several out of state friends that memes about violence being at the forefront of various social revolutions are at best misleading and at worst obscure how the riot made a lot of residents vulnerable in very basic ways. We need the national media to be more mindful about how they keeps tabs and report on our recovery. There's still a long road ahead.




Entry 4 in "The Bard's Hall Contest

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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/entry_id/1012162-Complexity-Follows