2008 Annual Awards Program and Holiday Party of University UNITED

To Our Community Partners:

You are cordially invited to the 2008 Annual Awards Program and Holiday Party of University UNITED

Monday, December 15, 20085:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Hmong Minnesota Professionals Building
225 University Avenue, at Marion Street(formerly Saxon Ford complex)
St. Paul, MN, 55103

Celebrate the best architecture and design projects of 2008 Honor the 2008 Metro Award Recipient: Dan Bartholomay, Commissioner of Minnesota Housing in recognition of his service as director of the Regionand Communities program at the McKnight Foundation.

Enjoy a "sneak preview" of an historical exhibit funded by the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission entitled "150 Years at the Center of the Twin Cities: the Intersection of University and Prior Avenues" See a demonstration of exciting community planning tools available through UPLAN,a program of University UNITED

Refreshments will be served
Linda Winsor
University UNITED
Assistant Director
1954 University Avenue, Suite 1
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651.641.0334
email: lindajwinsor@yahoo.com

National Black MBA Association - Twin Cities Chapter

National Black MBA Association - Twin Cities Chapter

Are you interested in being a mentor to a high school student?
The NBMBAA's Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) invites you to join us for a mentor kick off meeting. Come learn about our program and how you can have a positive impact on a young persons life.

When: Saturday, December 13, 10:00 - 11:00am
Where: University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Rm 1-143

Thank you for your help and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Sincerely,
Jamal Thompson Director of Education
communications@nbmbaatc.org

Event: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 Census Open House 12/2/08

U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Census Open House

Invited Speakers:

• The Honorable Betty McCollum, U.S. Congresswoman 4th District
• The Honorable Chris Coleman, Mayor of St. Paul
• Dana B. Badgerow, Commissioner of Administration
• Tom Gillaspy, Governor's Liaison and State Demographer
• Dennis Johnson, Regional Director, Regional Census Center
• Sydnee Chattin-Reynolds, Deputy Regional Director, Regional Census Center
  

To RSVP or for further information call 612-216-5950.
Tours and refreshments will follow the ceremony.


St. Paul Decennial Census Office
180 East Fifth Street, Suite 500, St. Paul, MN 55101
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.



U.S. Census Bureau hiring for 2010 Census Efforts

Recruiting staff will be on hand to discuss job opportunities in the St. Paul area. The U.S. Census Bureau-Kansas City Regional Census Center will hire thousands of people throughout its six-state region of Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas between now and next spring. Up to a total of 11,000 people will be on staff during peak times.

Exciting job opportunities are available for the 2010 Census with good pay, and the chance to serve your community. Currently seeking partnership, recruiting, census takers and clerical applications. Pay varies according to local area and position.

Contact us today!
1-866-861-2010
http://www.2010censusjobs.gov/ or
kansas_city_2010_recruiting@census.gov

U of M to host 'Obama Effect' conference Oct. 23-25

Updated 10/20/2008 7:35:50 PM

The University of Minnesota's School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) presents 'The Obama Effect,' a conference to discuss the compelling issues and events that have surrounded Barack Obama's presidential campaign. From his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention to his nomination for the presidency, the political successes of Obama have challenged conventional wisdom about race, politics, media and generation. The conference, which is sponsored by the SJMC, Minnesota Journalism Center and the department of African and African American studies, will take place Thurs., Oct. 23 through Sat., Oct. 25 in various locations on the Twin Cities campus. All events are free and open to the public.

A complete schedule of conference events, campus maps, and parking information are available at www.sjmc.umn.edu/obama.html.

3rd Annual Candidate Karaoke Party

Host:	Urban Embassy
Location:	Arnellia's 1183 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104 US
When:	Thursday, October 30, 6:00PM
Phone:	651-379-0758
Meet & mingle with political candidates and officials who want to represent you. Hear them sing; hear their stance on issues that impact our community! We invite elected officials who represent us - and candidates who'd like to - but there's a catch: if they want to speak, they have to sing first! PAST PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE: US Rep. Betty McCollum, Senate Candidate Al Franken, State Auditor Rebecca Otto, State Senators Ellen Anderson, Linda Higgins, Mee Moua and Sandy Pappas; State Rep. Willie Dominguez; Police Chief William Finney (fmr); School Board Member John Broderick; County Commissioner Toni Carter! ***Urban Embassy is an emerging non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to maximizing civic engagement and empowerment of the African American community.

Event: “ We Are Victims NO MORE” - Domestic Violence Awareness Month

" We Are Victims NO MORE"

OASIS of Love features the dramatic stories of healing and restoration of former victims and abusers of

domestic violence.

National Domestic Violence Awareness Event:

DATE: Saturday, October 25, 2008

11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

PLACE: 2323 North 26th Avenue

(Community Room)

Brunch Sponsor tickets and reservations

Available:

$10 (individual)

$100-$500 (Table Sponsors)

GUEST PRESENTERS—

Dr. Ruby L. Johnson

Nancy D. Sorrell

Warren Edwards

(other invited guests)

Moderator: Dr. Diane Thibodeaux

Author of the book, "ABUSE: The Hidden Cry"

Hear about the transforming power of God's grace in the lives those among us who have

survived domestic violence. Learn more about supporting the work of OASIS

in ending relationship violence.

For more information, contact OASIS of Love, Inc.

612/529-6055

EMAIL: oasisofloveinc@comcast.net

Informational on Mpls November Ballot Referendums

Host:	State Rep Jim Davnie and Cara Letofsky
Location:	Brackett Park Building 2728 39th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406 US
When:	Monday, October 27, 7:00PM
Phone:	612-724-5163

This November, Minneapolis voters have the opportunity to support two referenda that will strengthen the Minneapolis Public Schools.

First is the ABC School Board Districting referendum. "ABC" Stands for Accountable, geographically Balanced, and Connected to the community. It calls for a change the Minneapolis School Board from seven members, all elected at-large, to nine members three elected at-large and six representing separate geographic areas. This change allows for fairer representation by giving you the chance to elect leaders who know the unique needs of your local schools and community.

Second is the Strong Schools Strong City referendum. Also known as the Vote Yes For Kids referendum, it will provide $60 million a year to the Minneapolis Public Schools for eight years. The referendum will fund essential education basics: early age reading, math and science, and up-to-date textbooks and technology. Half of the referendum dollars will go to continue the district's commitment to managing class size.

Please join us on Monday, October 27th to learn more about these two issues that will be on the ballot on November 4th. Whether you have kids in the Minneapolis Public Schools or not, the future of our kids and our city depend on every child getting the education they need. The strength of our community depends on the strength of our schools; the strength of our schools depends on the strength of our community.

Hope you can make it!

Jim and Cara

Rally/networking event for the Young (and young at heart) Professionals on 10/24

SUMTHIN-SPECIAL PRESENTS

"Fired Up! Ready to Go!"

A Young Professionals Happy Hour and Rally

With The Honorable Keith Ellison of Minnesota

and

The Honorable John Conyers of Michigan

plus music, spoken word artists, giveaways and a cash bar!

Date: Friday, October 24th, 6:00 — 9:00pm

Place: Epic Event Center 110 North 5th Street, Minneapolis

RSVP with Brett Buckner at 612.229.1508 or brettdbuckner@yahoo.com

The 1969 Morrill Hall U of MN Takeover: Reflections on Black Bodies in Resistance

Event: The 1969 Morrill Hall Takeover": Reflections on Black Bodies in Resistance- Roundtable Discussion

Date: November 12th, 2008

Time: 4:00 pm

Place: 125 Nolte Library, 315 Pillsbury Drive SE, U of MN East Bank Campus

Map: http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/NCCE/NCCE-map.html

In January 1969 a group of students, members of the African American Action Committee
(now known as the BSU), actively took a stand against racism and stood up for equal
education and the celebration of African American history, philosophy, sociology, et. al.
What these students demanded from the University of Minnesota administration was
simple; more scholarships for blacks to open up opportunities to higher education, a call
for more black faculty, and a black studies department. By December of 1969 a African
and African-American studies department was born at the Univeristy.

For the whole of 2009 the Afro-Studies department will be presenting a variety of round
table discussions, conferences and events centered around the necessity and longevity of
the department. Attached is a flyer for an up coming round table discussion on the topic
of 'The 1969 Morrill Hall Takeover'. Hopefully this will prove to be an exciting discussion
with Afro-Studies professors Rose Brewer, Keith Mayes, Yuichiro Onishi, and John Wright
(a participant in the event), as well as myself- we hope to reveal some of the silences
concerning black bodies in resistance and bring to light some of the nuances of the
takeover itself.

Please join us as we begin our celebration of 40 years of African and African American
Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Cuba's Contribution to Africa's Liberation: A film and lecture 10/25

Date: Saturday, October 25

Place: University of Minnesota, West Bank, Blegen Hall 10

Film Time: 1:30

Prof. Gleijeses's presentation Time: 7pm.

From 1961 until 1989 Cuba was directly involved in Africa's liberation struggles by providing military and humanitarian assistance. The story of Cuba's role is the focus of a day long public forum that features Professor Piero Gleijeses of the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University and author of the award-winning, Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington and Africa, 1959-1976. He will present his most recent research on Cuba's role in the defeat of South African troops in Angola, the critical event that paved the way for the freeing of political prisoners like Nelson Mandela and the transition to the new South Africa. Prior to the lecture, Jihan El Tahri's 2007 prize-winning three hour documentary, Cuba: An African Odyssey, will be shown, it's Upper-Midwest premier.

The program takes place on Saturday, October 25, at the University of Minnesota, West Bank, Blegen Hall 10. The film will be shown at 1:30 and Prof. Gleijeses's presentation will begin at 7pm.

In between the film and lecture Cuban foods/snacks will be provided by Victor Valens.

The program is sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change, the Institute of Global Studies, the Departments of Political Science and History, the Black Student Union, the African Student Association and the Minnesota Cuba Committee.

For more information, contact animtz@umn.edu or 612-624-1512.

--
Alisha J. Volante
BGAPSA Secretary 2008/09

University Women of Color Fall Welcome

Embracing the full spectrum of the University community

November 5, 2008

9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.

Mississippi Room, 321 Coffman Memorial Union

Please join us at our annual welcome for Staff, Faculty and Student women of color. It is a great way to meet and greet other members of our community, to find out what we have planned for this year, and to get involved with UWOC.

This year's theme is "Taking Back Our Health: Issues Which Affect Communities of Color" The panelists are:

Alta Bruce, Community Program Specialist, Native Nurses Career Opportunities Program

Neisha Reynolds, M.P.A. Sr. Health Promotion Specialist, Hennepin County Human Service and Public Health Department (HSPHD).

Liliana M. Tobon Gomez, M.D. M.P.H. Sr. Health Promotion Specialist, Hennepin County

–

The Program

9:00 - 9:30 A.M. Breakfast & Reception

9:30 - 11:00 A.M. Panel Discussion

Presentation of the UWOC Tapestry Award

The UWOC Tapestry Award is awarded to those that help create a thriving campus community where diversity in the widest sense is welcomed and supported. This year's UWOC Tapestry recipient will be presented with the award at the Fall Welcome!

–

Registration is required. To RSVP and/or request disability accommodations, register online at: http://www.umn.edu/uwoc, register via email at: uwoc@umn.edu

by October 30, 2008.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

This program is funded by the Office of the Vice President & Vice Provost for Equity and Diversity.

The 45th Anniversary of The March on Washington-Dreams of Change 2008

Join us in commemorating the 45th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Program begins at 5:30pm with Appetizers, Art Reception and Live Jazz. "A Conversation" with Star Tribune columnist, author and playwrite Syl Jones and long time Civil Rights Activist, President of Minnesota NAACP Matt Little. Q&A. Concludes with Anniversary cake and coffee

Your Host: Minneapolis Central Library of the Hennepin County Library System

What: The 45th Anniversary of The March on Washington-Dreams of Change 2008

Where: Downtown Minneapolis-Pohland Hall/Auditorium300 Nicollet Mall

When: November 13th, 2008, 5:30pm - 8pm

More info:
OPENING RECEPTION & ART EHXIBIT and LIVE JAZZ WITH TRIO TIPO

Thursday, November 13, 2008, 5:30-8:00 PM at the Minneapolis Public Library Downtown Pohlad Hall Auditorium Featuring: An Exhibit of Artifacts and Materials from the March on Washington. The exhibition will be on display November 5-30, 2008.

A conversation between Syl Jones & Matt Little, followed by a play, “The Fire Next Time” directed by Prof. Harry Waters, Jr. Refreshments: Appetizers & Beverages

Matt Little is a long-time civil rights activist & president of the Minnesota NAACP.

Syl Jones is a Star Tribune columnist, author and award-winning playwright.

Harry Waters, Jr. is an Assistant Professor of Theater at Macalester College in St. Paul.

Free and Open to the Public

Transportation Information: Parking: 300 Nicollet Mall and Underground Parking

Bike Racks: Enter on Hennepin or Nicollet
Buses and Light Rail: 1 Block to library
Nicollet Mall: Downtown buses stop at the library 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18 and some express routes. For additional info contact Metro Transit at 612-373-3333.

Candidate Forum - US Rep, MN Rep and Mpls School Board

MN 2008 Candidate Forums: U.S. Senate

Scheduled Forums

Al Franken, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Candidate, U.S. Senate Wednesday, October 22 1:00 - 2:15pm
Humphrey Forum
Hubert H. Humphrey Center
301 19th Ave S., Minneapolis

Senator Norm Coleman, Republican Party Candidate, U.S. Senate
Thursday, October 23 Noon - 1:15pm
Cowles Auditorium
Hubert H. Humphrey Center
301 19th Ave S., Minneapolis

The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly are cosponsoring a series of public forums with the major party candidates for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat to foster informed and substantive discussion of important matters of public policy. The forums create an opportunity for the candidates to rise above the talking points and fractious back-and-forth of the campaign to address the important policy challenges facing Minnesota and the country. It also creates a forum for students and citizens to listen and raise questions with the candidates. U.S. Senate candidate Dean Barkley spoke at the Humphrey Institute on Oct. 8. The events are free and open to the public.

Refreshments will be served after the forums.

The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance develops practical, independent, and non-partisan solutions to pressing political and policy challenges. Founded in 2005, CSPG fosters effective and efficient governance, increases the transparency of government processes, and rebuilds the public trust in order to counteract negative influences that threaten our democracy.

To request disability accommodations, please call 612-625-2530 or email cspg@umn.edu The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Growing up black in Minneapolis, fighting in South Africa

Friday, October 10, **7:30pm* - Magers And Quinn Booksellers

Frank Wilderson III discusses his new book /Incognegro/

Frank Wilderson grew up in Minneapolis, took courses at the U, and was well known in the literary community here before doing his MFA at Columbia, and then moving to South Africa, where he joined the struggle against aparthed and was recruited by M-K. Both the parts about growing up black in Minneapolis during the black nationalist period, and the parts about loving and fighting in South Africa should be of great interest to Minnesota students and faculty. There is plenty of gripping narrative, but also trenchant and daring post-Fanonian analysis by a serious literary-political intellectual. See the praise from Ngugi and Ishmael Reed below.

(Frank will also appear at the Rain Taxi book fair at MCTC on Saturday, October 11, but is on a large panel and may not get much time.)
Charlie Sugnet
*********
"Wilderson [will] become a major American writer. Mark my word."--Ishmael Reed

"Into the wake of great literature fighting human bondage, Frank Wilderson pours Incognegro. And, like the offerings of Ellison, Fanon, Baldwin and Morrison, this revolutionary love story must be widely read, generously shared, and relentlessly engaged."--Joy James, author of Shadowboxing: Representations of Black Feminist Politics

"Fast paced, critical, humorous, hilarious at times, Incognegro asks provocative questions about post-Apartheid South Africa and post-civil rights America with all the passion, the drama and the political clarity of a great autobiography. With perspectives from different times and places in the two continents, and with an unerring eye and ear for a telling detail and image, Frank Wilderson brings a novelistic and dramatic imagination to a story of our times. It is a multi-layered narrative of a life molded in struggles for human dignity in America and Africa, at once a gripping story of race politics and a biography of his soul."--Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of The Wizard of the Crow

In 1995, a South African journalist informed Frank Wilderson, one of only two Black American members of the African National Congress (ANC), that President Nelson Mandela considered him "a threat to national security." Wilderson was asked to comment. Incognegro is that "comment." It is also his response to a question posed five years later by a student in a California university classroom: "How come you came back?"

Although Wilderson recollects his turbulent life in South Africa during the furious last gasps of apartheid, Incognegro is a quintessentially American story. Wilderson taught at Johannesburg and Soweto universities by day. By night, he helped the ANC coordinate clandestine propaganda, launch psychological warfare, and more. In this mesmerizing memoir, Wilderson's lyrical prose flows from childhood episodes in the white Minneapolis enclave "integrated" by his family to a rebellious adolescence at the student barricades in Berkeley and under tutelage of the Black Panther Party; from unspeakable dilemmas in the red dust and ruin of South Africa to political battles raging quietly on US campuses and in his intimate life. Readers will find themselves suddenly overtaken by the subtle but resolute force of Wilderson's biting wit, rare vulnerability, and insistence on bearing witness to history no matter the cost.

A literary tour de force sure to spark fierce debate in both America and South Africa, Incognegro retells a story most Americans assume we already know, with a sometimes awful, but ultimately essential clarity about global politics and our own lives. Frank B. Wilderson, III is the award-winning author of Red, White, & Black: Cinema and the Structure of US Antagonisms (Duke University Press, 2007) and the director of Reparations…Now (in-progress).

Frank B. Wilderson, III helped the ANC coordinate clandestine propaganda and launch psychological warfare while teaching in apartheid-era South Africa. He is the recipient of The Eisner Prize for Creative Achievement of the Highest Order; The Judith Stronach Award for Poetry; and The Maya Angelou Award for Best Fiction Portraying the Black Experience in America. He teaches African American studies and drama at the University of California, Irvine.

An evening with Paul Rusesabagina who inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda

An evening with Paul Rusesabagina

When: November 3, 20087:30 p.m.
Where: Northrop Auditorium
Admission: Free and open to the public

A reception will follow the event.For more information, contact Serena Wright, wrigh103@umn.edu, 612-624-0430Directions and parking information


Join College of Education and Human Development students, parents, faculty, and fellow alumni for a rare evening with author Paul Rusesabagina.

Can one person make a difference?
Paul Rusesabagina's inspiring transformation from hotelier to protector of neighbors and strangers caught in the middle of the Rwandan conflict provides a powerful answer. That question also forms the basis of the college's new First Year Inquiry course, in which all CEHD first-year students will read his autobiography, An Ordinary Man. As part of the curriculum, developed by faculty in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, the students will also have the rare opportunity to bring their inquiries to Rusesabagina, in person on Nov. 3.

He will present a public event at Northrop Auditorium later that day.Book gathering and online discussion for An Ordinary Man.

As a prelude to Paul Rusesabagina's visit to the University of Minnesota, the College of Education and Human Development and the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning are hosting two opportunities for friends of the University to discuss his book, An Ordinary Man. Both are free and open to the public.

Book gathering:
When: Tuesday, October 28
Light refreshments, 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Book-club style discussion, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Walter Library Conference Center, room 101[map and directions]

Join readers from the community and the University to discuss the themes and issues presented in the book An Ordinary Man.

Online book blog
Join an online discussion http://blog.lib.umn.edu/pstlitf/pstlbook/about the An Ordinary Man during the month of October. You are invited to participate in conversations on topics connected to the book and to the question: Can one person make a difference? Also available is a storehouse of links and resources related to genocide in Rwanda.http://cehd.umn.edu/PSTL/Anordinaryman/resources.asp

From Freedom's Shadow Exhibit

Don't forget to vote for judges on 9/9 if you live in Hennepin or Ramsey County

Voters in Hennepin and Ramsey counties will see district court judges on their primary ballots on Tuesday.

Each county has one open judicial seat without an incumbent. These seats usually draw many contenders and this year is no exception. Six attorneys have filed for the open seat in Hennepin county and eight for the open Ramsey county seat.

Two Supreme Court seats are also on the primary ballot statewide.
To see the primary election voter guide from Minnesota Lawyer newspaper, click below.

And click on the links to the left to see other voter guides dealing with the judicial seats.

For Minnesota Lawyer's voter guide: www.minnlawyer.com/elections/2008/index.cfm

Keesha Gaskins at UPStart, Sept. 17!

State of Students of Color & American Indian Students Conference: The other Minnesota Get Together™

MMEP is proud to share the news that Dr. Ronald Ferguson, director, Achievement Gap Institute at Harvard University will deliver the luncheon keynote address at the 2008 State of Students of Color & American Indian Students Conference on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008.

Ferguson is the creator and director of the Tripod Project for School Improvement. His research over the last several years has focused on racial achievement gaps, and has appeared in publications of the National Research Council, the Brookings Institution, the U.S. Department of Education, Educational Research Service, and others. Ferguson received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in economics.

Register online today and take advantage of early-bird discounted pricing. Better yet, become a member and be eligible to attend the Members’ Only Breakfast and Report Pre-Release.

For more information please visit www.mmep.net