September 11, 2015 · 9:10 pm

Reading Horizons “proves” that Reading Horizons works (and I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you)

Page from one of the now-withdrawn Reading Horizons

Page from one of the now-withdrawn Reading Horizons “Little Books”

The million dollar boondoggle that is Minneapolis Public Schools contract with Utah-based Reading Horizons continues. Now MPS wants Reading Horizons to rewrite its offensive and racist “Little Books.” MPS insists that “research shows this program has been successful in improving student outcomes around the country, including outcomes in diverse districts like ours.” Where is the research that MPS relied on? Does it exist? And if it doesn’t, what is explanation for a $1.2 million contract? Continue reading →

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September 11, 2015 · 9:09 pm

Why you should read Sarah Lahm on Reading Horizons

Page from one of the now-withdrawn Reading Horizons "Little Books" -

Page from one of the now-withdrawn Reading Horizons “Little Books” –

Sarah Lahm started telling the story in August: A corporate contractor got more than a million dollars from Minneapolis Public Schools and delivered offensive teacher training and racist books. Nine or ten blog posts later, the story continues to grow and now the Washington Post has picked it up, crediting Lahm for her investigative reporting, which uncovered the scandal. Continue reading →

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September 9, 2015 · 7:00 am

Failure to process rape kits leaves serial rapists on the street

Photo of forensics lab by Tym, published under Creative Commons license.

Photo of forensics lab by Tym, published under Creative Commons license.

The Star Tribune reported last week that more than 3400 Minnesota rape kits have never been processed, characterizing the number as “part of a continuing national scandal.” Nationwide, the number of unprocessed rape kits may reach the hundreds of thousands.

A similar Cleveland Plain Dealer investigation, ongoing for the past five years, revealed serial rapists who were never prosecuted because rape kits were never processed. That, says Columbia Journalism Review, “means that every unsolved case is even more likely to be another rape waiting to happen, and that removing even a single rapist from the street eliminates an ongoing threat.” Continue reading →

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September 7, 2015 · 1:51 pm

Labor Day: Good news, bad news

Photo by Fibonacci Blue, republished under Creative Commons license.

Photo of February 2014 rally to raise minimum wage by Fibonacci Blue, republished under Creative Commons license.

Labor Day in September started as a way to co-opt the May 1 international worker solidarity celebration, but labor and unions deserve at least two days of celebration. On Labor Day 2015, recent news coverage includes wins and losses and on-going struggles. For example, we can celebrate an unemployment rate lower than it was at any time during the Reagan presidency, and lower than any time since April 2008. That’s good news — but the bad news is that young workers and black workers still suffer much higher unemployment rates. Continue reading →

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September 6, 2015 · 8:50 pm

“Those people” are our neighbors

Sue Swain speaking at NAMI press conference. Also pictured, Sue Abderholden and Jill Wiedemann-WEst

Sue Swain speaking at NAMI press conference. Also pictured, Sue Abderholden and Jill Wiedemann-WEst

“In February 2009, I was desperate,” Sue Swain said. “My life was out of control and I needed help.” Already stressed by work and being a family caregiver, she now had to contend with a cancer diagnosis. The combination was too much to handle. But Swain found help at the Diane Ahrens crisis residence. During three days there, she ate nourishing meals, got help with managing prescriptions, and found counseling to deal with her burdens. Her short stay at the crisis residence, she says, was the “first and most critical step on my path to wellness.”
Continue reading →

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September 5, 2015 · 10:28 am

Need a little hope? Read on!

Teacher with shirtHad enough of this week’s death and horror? Here are six stories of hope and action, from Austria to California to Minnesota. Sometimes I need to focus on these stories to continue believing that each of us can make a difference. If you need that lift, too, read on. Continue reading →

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September 4, 2015 · 9:13 pm

Act now to save the next child

Photo of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey in 2014, by European Commission DGEcho, published under Creative Commons license.

Photo of Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey in 2014, by European Commission DGEcho, published under Creative Commons license.

Abdullah Kurdi, father of the toddler whose body washed up on a Turkish beach, spoke to Reuters as the bodies of his wife and two young sons lay in a Turkish morgue:

“The things that happened to us here, in the country where we took refuge to escape war in our homeland, we want the whole world to see this,” he said.

“We want the world’s attention on us, so they can prevent the same from happening to others. Let this be the last.”

We can take concrete actions, tonight, tomorrow, the next day to save the next child. Actions carry no guarantees of success, but inaction ensures failure. Continue reading →

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September 2, 2015 · 10:16 pm

Body on the beach: Europe’s refugee scandal

Screen Shot 2015-09-02 at 10.20.05 PM

UPDATED 9/3/2015: The Independent published a heart-wrenching photo of a dead child who washed ashore on a beach in Turkey. He is Syrian, one of more than 2,000 refugees who have died this year trying to escape to Europe. Continue reading →

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August 29, 2015 · 8:25 pm

Black Lives Matter goes to the Minnesota State Fair

ListenFor all my friends who want to know what it was like, and why it was important …

The day started like a picnic at Hamline Park, with people saying hello to old friends, kids running around, and people painting last-minute protest signs. Okay, maybe family picnics don’t usually have protest signs, but the family feeling was definitely there. Old people, young people, black people, white people, Asian and Native American people, queer people, straight people, trans people, lots of Unitarians and seminarians in clerical collars, babies in strollers and people in wheelchairs. Continue reading →

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August 27, 2015 · 7:17 pm

#BlackFair and the Minnesota State Fair

As usual, many of this year's crop art entries reflect political issues.

As usual, many of this year’s crop art entries reflect political issues.

I love the Minnesota State Fair. But dang it all — Black Lives Matter is right about structural/institutional racism at the Fair and in the state. So I went to the fair today, and I also plan to go to the #BlackFair march on Saturday. I agree with Julie Blaha, who wrote in a letter to the editor to the Strib:

“I love the State Fair with a passion that borders on obsession … [but] I have no problem with disruption for a good cause.

“If I’m willing to wait half an hour for deep-fried pickles, I can spend a little time on something as important as ending racism. Fairgoers, the least we can do for our neighbors suffering injustice is to put down the mini doughnuts for a bit and listen.”

Continue reading →

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