By Charles Hallman

Staff Writer

Minneapolis is vastly different today than a couple of decades ago as the city’s population has grown with more persons of color. Is the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) keeping pace with the demographic changes?

Residents of color often complain that neighborhood parks and centers aren’t as welcoming as in the past, and many suspect it is because MPRB staff doesn’t reflect or respect them. However, in recent months the MPRB has instituted several changes they believe will better serve their increasingly diverse customers.

“When you walk into our parks, people should know who our staff is,” explains Community Outreach Director Cordell “Corky” Wiseman on the staff dress code. “You should know who you are dealing with. If there is a problem, you should know that there is a staff [member] standing [nearby].”

MPRB staff must be more involved with the clientele, says Wiseman. “We’re there, but we are constantly defending ourselves because [of the perceived lack of involvement]. Besides our dress code, our programming needs to be looked at — what type of programs we are doing and how we are doing it.”

Wiseman adds that these changes have been stressed since Nick Williams was hired in January as assistant recreation superintendent. “He expects the staff to stand up, step up and say, ‘We are going to do a better job. We are going to be involved. We are going to be present. Our buildings are going to be open, and we are going to have staff involved [rather] than staff sitting and throwing out a ball and saying, ‘Open gym.’ I believe in that wholeheartedly.”

Before Williams’ hiring, the MPRB last year instituted mandatory cultural diversity training for all staff.

“Every employee in this organization will go through cultural competency training,” says Wiseman. “There is going to be a basic expectation on training and understanding that everybody understands what the organization expects when it comes to different cultures that are in our community.”

Nonetheless, Wiseman admits that “angst” still exists at MPRB, especially among staff members who have seen major organizational changes in recent months. “Of course, there’s angst — I understand that,” he confirms. “There’s angst and there’s fear [of losing one’s job] — it’s there. But I do believe that change is good.

“We have to keep up with the changing of our clients and our community,” says Wiseman. “I do agree that we need to move and look at doing things differently. Everything is not wrong or broken, but there are some things that we need to improve and get better at.

“Overall I do believe in change, and I do believe that we should be doing this,” he reiterates. “We should get more efficient in order to serve our community better. If it is not serving our community, I don’t want to be here.”

Wiseman also disputes rumors that the Park Board has plans to convert some parks into “event centers” that would eventually leave kids and families without a safe place to go.

There have “event center” discussions, but Wiseman says they didn’t involve all parks. Central Community Gym in South Minneapolis“is the only one that we had talked about, and that’s because of the space and the gym. Central Gym had been slated as an event-type center these last few years. We’ve done major events there for years — there’s been boxing there and other things, but we are just now calling it that.”

Wiseman pledges that neighborhood youth will continue to be served at Central. Furthermore, he points out, “Every park doesn’t offer every program… The [particular] program itself is more successful because it got more kids. There still are kids’ programs, and that is not going to change.”

Also, the city parks still offer summertime outdoor activities. For example, over 200 free concerts are scheduled through September 2, such as the Twin Cities Mobile Jazz Concert series. “Jazz is non-threatening music,” says Wiseman. “It is neutral music that people in general [are] going to like.

“We are doing more picnics in the park and park festivals,” he continues. “Each park is doing things around ice cream socials.”

As community outreach director, Wiseman says his responsibilities include “gathering data” from the community “and bringing that back to Nick, the superintendent and the board. We’re reaching everybody — the Somalians, Native Americans, Hmong and Asians. What we have to be better at is getting our message out to the community.

“We were doing a great job 15 years ago, but it went down to good,” Wiseman says. “Good, in my opinion, is not acceptable. Now it’s about doing our jobs differently and better. We want to deliver service better and more efficient.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

Photo by Charles Hallman

By Charles Hallman

Staff Writer

The 12-member University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the school’s governing body. Its members are elected by the Minnesota Legislature and serve without pay. Eight members represent the state’s eight congressional districts, and four members, including a current U of M student representative, are elected at large. Their six-year terms are staggered so that only four positions are available for appointment every two years.

Abdul Omari
Photo by Jaak Jensen courtesy of the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs

Current Minnesota student Abdul Omari was among four new regents selected during this year’s state legislative session. He was among 14 finalists interviewed by the Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC), created by the legislature in 1998 to screen and recommend candidates to the full legislative body.

“This council is of citizens from all over the state, and there are 24 individuals,” explains RCAC Vice Chair David Fisher. Four regent candidates are selected “in the odd-numbered years. We plan together as a body and develop a plan for doing recruitment and [establishing] interview schedules,” he adds. “It is difficult to narrow it down, but when we get to the process of narrowing, we first go over the applications, and that includes an essay and a description of who they are and a list of references who speak on behalf of the individual.

“We try to determine just on paper who would be the best to interview,” continues Fisher. “Not many of the 24 of us really know these people. Some we do know because some of us come from congressional districts where we know individuals, or some of the people who apply have a reputation that precedes them. But in most cases, we don’t know the individual.”

Josie Johnson duly points out that the regent selection process was vastly different back in the 1970s. She became the university’s first Black regent in 1971, a year after the U of M Morrill Hall takeover by Black students. “We supported the students who were protesting,” she remembers.

Afterwards, Johnson was approached by several DFLers to apply for a school regent post. “It appeared to me as an opportunity to continue the struggle that the students had been engaged in… So I agreed to be a candidate,” she continues. “Once you have been accepted as a candidate, then you have to go before the House Committee on Education and then the Senate Committee on Education. They interview you, and if they support [you], then they recommend you to the full legislature. They then elect you.”

Josie Johnson
Photo by
Charles Hallman

After her election in May 1971, Johnson says, “I guess that every week [or] every other week I went to all of our campuses. Duluth became one of the places that I visited regularly because of my commitment to diversity at the university, and to make sure the American Indian community was represented and [their] issues” were heard as well, she points out.

Johnson also served on two committees, one on students, faculty and staff, and another on health science. She also chaired a student engagement and concerns subcommittee. “Having been engaged in the issues facing Black students…I felt it was not only my responsibility but my commitment to make sure that our students’ wishes were continued while I was on the board,” she says.

She also fought for university-operated hospitals to share high-priced medical equipment, keeping patient expenses down. “That didn’t go very far, because every hospital feels they have to have their own MRI machine,” notes Johnson. “I tried to suggest and argued that it didn’t make sense for every hospital to have one of those expensive MRI [machines] or other technical equipment.”

Unfortunately, Johnson was able to serve only about a third of her one six-year term because her husband was being transferred out of town for his job. “I resigned in November of 1973. I recommended Katie McWatt and Wanda Moore” to be considered by the governor to succeed her. “The governor selected Wanda Moore as my replacement. She then became the second Black person to serve.”

All total, six Blacks have served as U of M regents: Johnson (1971-73), Moore (1973-1989), Willis (Bill) Drake (1981-87), Alan Page (1989-1993), William Hogan II (1993-2005), Lakeesha Ransom (2001-07) and Peter Bell (2002-07).

Being the first-ever Black regent “wasn’t something that was on my agenda,” admits Johnson, a longtime educator and community activist. Omari, however, is the first Black since 2007 to become a regent. Fisher admitted that there were “very few” Blacks and other people of color among the 33 applications received this year, and the RCAC lacks diversity as well, he points out.

The university “serves the whole state… Everyone is supposed to have access to the university,” says Johnson. “We have to continue to fight that struggle, because the system doesn’t maintain a commitment,” especially where diversity is concerned.

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

Dwight Hobbes

Contributing Writer

This being June and all, between school graduations, Father’s Day, birthdays and folk just generally being in their usual frame of mind to send someone a kind or pleasant sentiment, card shops are making a killing. One kind of customer, however, never seems to find quite the same selection as most consumers.

The blank greeting cards section characteristically is the smallest and, accordingly, offers the least variety. That’s fine for shoppers who want to simply grab

Beverly Franklin
Photo and card
designs courtesy of
Beverly Franklin

something quick that says something nice and be on about their day. But what about those who want to give their own message to friends, family and other loved ones?

Cards By Beverly (cardsbybeverlyavmn.com) widens the selection range with a handsome line of stationery note cards. It’s a collection of more than 200 abstract images, drawings and paintings that readily catch the eye and easily hold one’s attention. Owner-principal-designer Beverly Franklin created the product line from an interesting combination of inspiration, capability and experience.

She has put in the requisite grunt work, doing retail in high school and college at, among other prestigious Twin Cities outfits, Dayton’s Department Store, now Macy’s. From there, she moved on from a University of Minnesota B.S. to earn an M.B.S. at the University of St. Thomas. She entered the workplace in a field one hardly associates with marketing creativity.

Franklin spent most of a long career specializing in human resources at, among other institutions, Fairview University Medical Center, accepting staff positions before doing private consulting. It made the donuts. At length, she decided she was done punching a time clock.

Leaving the workforce after 2009 not yet ready to hang it up, Beverly Franklin found herself restless, looking for a way to set both her energy and creativity to good purpose. “[I] hated being retired with nothing to do.”

Franklin recalls that even before pulling the proverbial pin, a bug was there. In human resource management, responsible to recruit top-flight personnel from across the U.S., she’d find herself, during moments of downtime, “defacing work papers — drawing in the margins.”

Once she had time on her hands, she started to make constructive use of fanciful doodlings. She’d sit with drawing pencil, pen and cardstock to dash off a note. “People would call back and ask, ‘Well, where did you get that card?’ [They] liked them.” Franklin, sitting in a South Minneapolis coffee shop, reflects, “It’s really a great feeling to create a product that people like.”

It called for pavement pounding and cold-calling. “Initially, I went to crafts and art shows and began participating in that.” This was through researching at FestivalNet.com. Reception at such events as Woodbury Arts & Crafts Show at International Market Square was encouraging, fueling the fire. 

After which, on confirming public interest, Franklin strategically set about the business of further taking care of business. She looked around at available resources and availed herself of every market’s fastest path to growth, the best way to get a leg up, establishing an Internet presence.

It has worked out well. As an entrepreneur, Franklin matter-of-factly states, “[It’s] direct sales. You have to let people know you’re out there — what you have to offer.” Mining a highly marketable niche, filling a hole the industry pretty much leaves open, Cards By Beverly has something rewarding to offer.

“A lot of times, people will look at cards and see it as one facet of what you can do with it.” In the course of networking, that quintessential ingredient in successful merchandising, Franklin visited Sister Spokesman, MSR’s monthly meet-and-greet for female Black professionals. Of this she says, “I like how comfortable Sister Spokesman is as a forum for women of color. I love seeing ladies come together, relax, and share great information and have fun.”

This is the company’s third increasingly successful year. Each annum has shown such strong signs of life that Franklin now has an eye out to expand and include as more arrows in the Cards By Beverly’s quiver such items as first-run, collectible posters and clothing designs as well as acrylics.

From here, Beverly Franklin looks to expand on a lucrative local base to go national with a mapped-out idea of how to accomplish that considerable objective. “You have to first be successful locally and make sure that all parts work.” By this, she refers to infrastructure, the concrete foundation on which one sustains a viable, perceptibly profitable business plan.

For the coming fiscal year, she’s putting in place a process by which the company is able to handle greater volume on short notice. This will have her in solid standing as a provider to national clearinghouse CardSmart Inc., a direct pipeline to fairs, online venues, and, importantly, retail stores.

Convenient as it is to shop from home, card-buying consumers haven’t, by a long shot, forsaken the option of browsing through aisles when out and about. Cards By Beverly, a smart boutique business born of necessity, is poised to advantageously position a highly marketable product.

For more information, call toll free 866-380-2643 or email info@cardsbybeverlyavmn.com. 

Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to P.O. Box 50357, Mpls., 55403. 

With the fourth anniversary of the passing of Michael Jackson upon us, it’s a good time to pause, reflect and celebrate his life and his music.

Celebrating Jackson’s music is something a number of contemporary artists, jazz musicians included, have done more constantly in recent years. I’m thinking of Joey DeFrancesco, Vijay Iyer, Esperanza Spalding, and the list goes on. Not only is it a popular thing to do, it’s a fine way to pay tribute to one of the most important entertainers of all time.

Speaking of fitting tributes to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, BWB’s Human Nature — featuring trumpeter Rick Braun, tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum, and guitarist Norman Brown — was released by Heads Up/Concord Music Group on June 18. The project does an excellent job of spotlighting 11 of Jackson’s songs, which were selected by all three world-class musicians.  BWB also includes keyboardist John Stoddart, bassist Braylon Lacey, drummer Khari Parker, percussionist Lenny Castro and organist Ralph Lofton.

“This is a fun collaboration,” Brown said in the album press release. “First of all, we really love each other. We’ve been good friends for the longest time. Rick is a very serious trumpet player; so is Kirk on his horn. And then we feed off each other and bring stuff to life that way.

“So it was Rick’s idea to make these songs, to do the Michael Jackson songbook. So we just started picking our favorite ones. It was hard to narrow it down, but we narrowed it down to 11 tunes and we hope that we did him proud.”

If there’s one Michael Jackson tribute album you must own, this is it. The passion, the genuine artistry, and commitment — it’s all there. From the opening soulfully groovin’ and danceable track, “Another Part of Me,” to “Billie Jean” featuring a bit of scatting, to the album’s title track with vocalist Sheléa’s gentle breezy treatment, you know this album is a unique and carefully crafted collection of tunes that are very near and dear to each individual artist.

The bluesy rendition of “Who’s Lovin’ You” features Braun, Whalum, and Brown at their finest. They take their time on this one, and along the way remind you why they are three of the most revered musicians in the business. Having listened to a number of Kirk Whalum albums over the years, I can say without a doubt Whalum on “She’s Out of My Life,” sounds absolutely superb.

Braun’s clarion trumpet playing, along with Brown’s precise lines, aptly justifies defining this group as a “supergroup.” The more I hear “I Can’t Help It,” the more surprised I am by the creative ways in which it’s presented. Such is the case on Human Nature with Braun’s muted trumpet helping to round out this beautiful arrangement. Delivered at a slower pace, it sounds equally energized.

And “I’ll Be There,” hasn’t sounded as good since I heard Marcus Miller (also on the Concord roster) play it live last year.

“Man in the Mirror” is also included on Human Nature and closes out a tribute album Michael Jackson himself could be proud of.

Their one-of-a-kind rapport and chemistry is undeniable. Braun, Whalum and Brown first came together as BWB 11 years ago, so playing together on Human Nature was a reunion for them.

BWB are currently on a big tour in support of the album, visit www.concordmusicgroup.com for more information.

Robin James welcomes reader responses to jamesonjazz@spokesman-recorder.com.

By Vickie Evans-Nash

Editor-in-Chief

Judging by the response of most of the crowd — “We love you, Michael!,” dancing in the seats, “This is the best show I’ve ever seen.” — Mystic Lake’s “The Ultimate Thriller” on June 7 and 8, was a success. On the night of June 7, the team of musicians and dancers performed for an almost packed house.

Any true fan of Michael Jackson would know that his career was not initiated by the Moon Walk. His unique voice, apparent even during adolescence, was what brought him early fame and kept him there for decades.

So when this Latin-accented look-a-like tried to impersonate a soulful ballad, his voice, though passable, could in no way be confused with the King of Pop. For this critic, a Jackson fan since childhood, I could only describe the show as “Bad,” and not in the way Michael intended.

To his credit, this impersonator had many of the dance moves down pat, but so have many youth around the country and worldwide, especially in the ’hood. Even his dancing was only true to Michael’s form when he stuck to the scripted moves of Jackson’s many videos.

The upside of performances to “Bad” and “Black or White” was that the moves were extracted exactly as Michael had performed them, with “Smooth Criminal” being the best example of the performer’s talent hands down. However, when it came to creating dance moves to songs with no video choreography, he gave the impression of youth playing Dance, Dance Revolution — left foot here, right foot there, hand on crotch.

In fact, “Beat It” offered the audience a Michael whose hand seemed super glued to his crotch. During “Billy Jean,” the screaming crowd made this reviewer feel like I was at a Rocky Horror Picture Show, where an engaged audience — not the performance — created the excitement.

On ballads like “Heal the World,” “She’s Out of My Life” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” the loud background music seemed intentional in covering up the weakness of his voice. And in “Man in the Mirror,” a song where the gospel-influenced background is at one point just as strong as Michael’s lead, the background vocals were at their weakest.

Over the weekend I watched This Is It for the first time, wondering if there was a Michael “The Ultimate Thriller” audience was remembering that I had no recollection of. I discovered a talented artist whose health seemed to be deteriorating on screen. Viewers were allowed sneak-peeks of the person this musical prodigy used to be.

I then became aware that this was the Michael the impersonator chose to highlight, plucked directly from the movie to create this Ultimate Thriller. Most of the scenes appeared to be complete replicas of the film.

In This Is It, Jackson speaks of conserving his voice; he used it sparingly during the videoed practices. This impersonator must have taken the sparring performance to heart, and perhaps audience members who only knew Michael from This Is It did as well.

This Michael from This Is It was a mere shadow of the Michael I grew up with and mainly captured his demise rather than the unique gifts of talent he offered the world.

Vickie Evans-Nash welcomes reader response to vnash@spokesman-recorder.com. 

Keith had settled back in a window seat watching the asphalt shrink, watching the airport go away. Leaving Lesli and L.A.

In all his years in the business, for all the traveling it required, he’d never got quite used to flying. It amazed him, in a scary way, when these monstrous machines got off the ground and kept right on going.

In the airport bar, Lesli had tried to explain the physics of an airplane getting off the ground and was amused, when she got done, that he was just as confused as when she started. He’d given up trying to figure it out, tossed back the last of his drink and flatly stated, “Aerodynamics my Aunt Fanny.”

She’d chuckled, finishing off hers. He flagged down the waiter for another round and decided he didn’t give a flying figure-eight how airplanes worked as long as they did and could get him to work. Her smile had waned as she’d rattled the ice in the bottom of her glass, then gave a speculative look through the window at the airfield.

He knew he was nuts about her. And that she liked him. Keith couldn’t help but wonder if she felt any stronger for him than that.

The drinks came in short order. “Are you,” the waiter had asked, “somebody famous?”

“Huh?” Keith responded.

“Some people over there asked me if it would be okay if they asked for your autograph.”

“Get the—.”  Then it had occurred to him: Some music buff had caught him either on television or backing somebody up on tour. Didn’t happen often, but, it did happen. “Yeah, sure.”

“Who are you?” the waiter had pressed.

“Nobody.” With which he’d looked at Lesli and shrugged.

She chuckled again as the waiter went away. “Nobody, huh? They want Nobody’s autograph?”

“Probably music students.”

Toying with her rum-and-coke, moving the ice around with the stirrer, she’d looked from the drink to him. “When do y’ think we’ll see each other again?”

“Not soon enough, lady.”

“I don’t have that many opportunities to go East. Or reasons.” She’d nestled her legs between his under the table. “Before.”

He took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Lesli continued, “I’m not so sure I wanna wait ’til you have another movie to do. Or Broadway tour. Or recording session. Until I can get my hands on you.” She’d winked.

“We’ll work something out. When’s your next vacation?”

Her fingers stopped playing with his and her face froze in a blank look. “I haven’t the foggiest idea. Haven’t—.”  She’d grinned at him with a self-deprecating smile. “Baby, I haven’t bothered with a vacation in about two years.”

“Well then, I guess you’re overdue.”

“I’ll say.” The waiter had materialized with three youngsters — the oldest couldn’t’ve been more than 20 — in tow. Sure enough, they studied at a Westchester conservatory, flying back from an international competition. This he’d learned from the breathless, wide-eyed White boy who kept staring at Keith’s fingers. Turned out he was a guitarist. The young, light-skinned, Black cat with a short ’Fro and comically serious demeanor had volunteered, “We listened to you on Red Calloway’s album and Sheila Rush, her album.”

The third student strolled up, relaxed. One thing Keith always could figure out was someone’s ethnicity, especially if the someone was female. With this one, though, he was having a hard time. The only thing he could certainly tell is that she wasn’t White. Not all the way, anyhow.

She’d stopped a sensible distance away while the other two had hunched almost close as they could get without sitting in Keith and Lesli’s laps. She looked at the other two standing just behind him. “I pointed him out,” she’d said. “Otherwise neither of you would’ve known he was in the same room.”

They’d turned and fairly shrank before her gaze. She’d nodded over his shoulder for them to back up, and they sheepishly stepped aside.

“Hi, Mr. Jackson,” she’d said pleasantly with a nice smile. “I’m Samantha.” With which she thrust out her hand.

This kid, Keith had mused with an admiring smile in return, is a piece of work. He still couldn’t figure for sure how much of what she was mixed with, but one thing for sure: He could see in his peripheral vision that Lesli seemed to instantly dislike the girl.

He shook Samantha’s hand, then signed napkins for all three before turning back to Lesli. The kids took the hint. As they left, Samantha had called over her shoulder, “Mr. Jackson, would you be willing to listen to a demo?”

“Why not?” Lesli hadn’t liked that either.

Samantha came back over. “Where should I send it?”  When he told her his address, Lesli had shot him an evil look.

“Thank you,” Samantha had said, quite simply, and strode off.

“What,” Lesli had wanted to know, “is she going to send you a demo for?”

He’d shrugged. “Doesn’t much matter. She’ll send it, I’ll give it a listen and, if it’s worthwhile, see who I can pass it along to.”

“Networking.” She’d seemed skeptical.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Well, if you say.” His flight finally was announced. Keith fairly sprang to his feet, Lesli slowly rising. And giving him a great big hug and a sloppy wet kiss.

He’d walked away in a complete daze. Then found himself, several sheets to the wind, looking out the window, thinking about her.

Next week: Lesli’s reach extends all the way back to New York

Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to P.O. Box 50357, Mpls., 55403. 

Rondo Days Festival searching for former Red Caps and families

The opening event of the 30th annual Rondo Days Festival will be a reception to honor the Red Caps, the station porters who welcomed and served travelers and the railroad industry at the St. Paul Union Depot for more than 78 years.

As part of the renovation of this historic train station, the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority (RCRRA) is commemorating these men by establishing the Red Cap Room on the depot’s second floor. All former Red Caps, their families and friends are invited to attend the dedication ceremonies at the Union Depot on Friday, July 12 at 4 pm.

Over the course of their long relationship with the Depot, the Red Caps brought a sense of professionalism, commitment and dedication to those traveling the railroads, which enhanced the reputation the Depot enjoyed. These men were truly St. Paul’s great ambassadors who made all travelers feel welcomed, answered questions, offered suggestions and tips on what to see or do while in town, and of course saw that baggage was checked in or retrieved.

“The Red Cap Room” is a vivid reminder of the rich association and unique role the Red Caps played in the Depot’s history,” said Rondo Festival co-founder Marvin Roger Anderson. “Many of these men lived in the old Rondo neighborhood of St.

1952 photo of Red Caps in front of the Union Depot

Paul, and we would like to honor them as role models within the community and beyond.”

Timothy A. Mayasich, RCRRA’S director, has said that the “Red Cap Room will be our premiere site for community events, for dinners, galas as well as private functions.”

This free event is co-sponsored by Rondo Days Inc., the Ramsey County Railroad Authority and the St. Paul Union Depot. The reception will be held on the second floor of the St. Paul Union Depot, 214 4th St. E., St Paul, on Friday, July 12, 4-6 pm.

Anyone with information or interesting stories about former Red Caps should contact Marvin Roger Anderson at 651-402-0095 or mranderson989@comcast.net. More information can be found on the Rondo Festival website: www.rondofest.org. For more information, call 651-402-0095, email mranderson989@comcast.net or visit www.rondofest.org:

Information provided by Rondo Days Festival.

The Music

The Garifuna Collective

Thurs., Jun 20, 7:30 pm • Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls., 612-338-2674 or www.thecedar.org • The Garifuna Collective features an exciting roster of the top musicians in the Garifuna music scene of Central America and they are renowned for their work with the late Andy Palacio on the groundbreaking album Wátina, which Amazon.com selected as “The Greatest World Music Album of All Time.”

Carolina Chocolate Drops     

Sat., June 22, 7:30 pm • Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley, 952-431-9200, www.suemclean.com or www.mnzoo.org • The Carolina Chocolate Drops are an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina comprised of several banjos, guitar, jug, harmonica, kazoo, snare drum, bones, quills, beatbox, tambourine and mandolin. Their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number nine in fRoots magazine’s top 10 albums of 2010.

Questlove and D’Angelo

Sun., June 23, 7 pm • First Avenue & 7th St. Entry, 701 N. 1st Ave., Mpls., 612-338-8388 or http://first-avenue.com • Questlove and D’Angelo team up for their two-man show, Brothers in Arms which has been earning rave reviews since they teamed up for D’Angelo’s first U.S. concert in 12 years last summer. Previous shows with the two have seen them grooving with Funkadelic singer Kendra Foster during a funky cover of the Beatles’ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and D’Angelo shredding guitar on Jimi Hendrix’s “Power of Soul.”

David Murray Infinity Quartet w/Macy Gray

Sun., June 23, 7 pm • Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com • David Murray, one of the giants of modern jazz, teams up with Macy Gray, one of the most unique voices of her generation, for a special new project. Murray has rearranged his original music and some of the covers Gray did on her last record, with predictably stunning results.

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force with Worldwide Discotheque DJs

Wed., June 26, 7 pm • Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls., 612-338-2674 or www.thecedar.org • Nigerian born Femi Kuti, is the son of legendary afrobeat musican and activist Fela Kuti. He is currently touring in support of his new album No Place for my Dream, the follow-up to his Grammy-winning album Africa for Africa. This is sure to be one of the high-points of Cedar’s African Summer 2013 series, which has Amadou and Mariam two nights later (June 28).

The Screen

After Earth

Various theaters • A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth 1,000 years after events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help • Starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith.

Love Thy Neighbor

Wednesday’s on OWN, 9/8c • Written and directed by Tyler Perry, this new series, which debuted on May 29, had the second highest ratings ever for a series premiere on OWN, second only to Perry’s other new program on the network The Haves and the Have Nots. This new series, starring Patrice Lovely, Palmer Williams, Kendra C. Johnson and Andre Hall is a half-hour sitcom set in a location known as the Love Train Diner, a restaurant that offers advice to its customers in all facets of life.

Rapture-Palooza 

Various theaters/Comcast Pay-per-view • Starring Craig Robinson, and Anna Kendrick • Left behind after the Rapture, a young woman and her boyfriend set out to prevent the Antichrist (Craig Robinson) from taking her as his unholy bride.

The Stage

Bill Cosby

Sat., June 22,  5 pm and 8 pm, Treasure Island Resort and Casino, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Road, Welch, MN, www.treasureislandcasino.com • Bill Cosby is a legendary comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician, activist and veteran stand-up performer.

BEHOLD: A Gala Performance

Sat., June 22, 8:30 pm • Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-377-2224 or www.guthrietheater.org • BEHOLD, is a star-studded one-night-only gala performance-hosted by grande dames of the Guthrie stage Greta Oglesby and Sally Wingert, and featuring a performance by Whoopie Goldberg.

The Arts

Five by Five

Through June 30 • Obsidian Arts, 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls., 612-787-3644 or www.blackartsmn.org • Five African photographers accepted the challenge of conveying visually, in just five images, the essential totality of their respective communities. Hailing from the lands associated with the Congolese, Liberians, Ethiopians, Somalians, and African Americans these five photographers surprise, lecture, and  nurture a broad recognition of what is “the essential.”  Side by side visitors may reflect on the differences in artistic perspectives and philosophies. The artists are: Travis Lee, Albert Nyembwe, Mohamed Barre,  Getachew Irko, and Tarnue Jallah.

Realism Reconsidered

Through July 26 • Gordon Parks Gallery, Metro State Univ. Library and Learning Center, 645 E. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-793-1631 • Featuring Minneapolis-based artists Raina Belleau and Howard Quednau, who turn to folklore and the narrative to explore a different sense of truth. Belleau’s manipulated animal sculptures and Quednau’s skillful tiny model dioramas become playful, and sometimes dark, representations of altered realities and fictitious spaces • Mon.-Thurs., 11 am — 7 pm,
Fri.-Sat., 11 am — 4 pm No Fri. hours during summer months.

Send all Entertainment Spot briefs to abuchanan@spokesman-recorder.com, or call 612-827-4021.

You’d be surprised how much good the smallest effort will do.

For instance, consider the gift a couple bags of groceries can be when it comes to filling financial holes these days, as the economy keeps getting worse. In a household that’s still working, $30 worth of staples from the foodshelf means $30 that can go, for instance, to the still-rising price of gas for the car.

Or it can cover a utility bill. Perhaps put a new pair of cheap, functional shoes on someone in the family’s feet. Maybe it can go toward the rent to help keep the proverbial wolf from jumping in the window.

And, of course, for those getting by on unemployment insurance — not to mention wit and grit — it helps keep breath in the body. For those on the ever-increasing public roll, foodshelf bags are vital in order to stretch food stamps as far as possible.

Now consider how easy it is to put that food on people’s shelves. You can take one-third the cost of that $30, just $10, to the good folk at Jericho Road Ministries (JRM). They will, in turn, get a nice bang out of each buck, licensed, as it were, to purchase a great deal of food for not much money at all.

Here’s how it works, says JRM Director Jeff Noyed: “Three words — Second Harvest Heartland. They are a food bank that offers phenomenal deals for food shelves such as Jericho Road Ministries. Each food shelf must become a certified member, pay their bills, submit statistics and be inspected. However, this is a small amount of work in comparison to the great deals that we receive as a food shelf.”

Responding to other household necessities, Noyed, ably aided by a tight-knit handful of volunteers Laurie, Deb, Robert and Margaret, tries to keep the pantry racks of soap, toothpaste, vitamins and things like that well-stocked.

One item families won’t have to walk away without is diapers. If you need them, JRM is packed to the rafters. Why? Once again it’s through Second Harvest Heartland. When a company like Huggies donates diapers to Second Harvest Heartland, it is usually in massive amounts. Jericho Road continues to order about 10 cases of diapers each week at “phenomenal prices.”

Jericho Road Ministries is located smack-dab in the middle of South Minneapolis’ Mexican American populace, just up the road from Lake Street at 16th Ave. and 33rd Street in the basement of the 16/33 Center. Accordingly, when Noyed set up shop in January 2011, it was with an eye out to be of service to the neighbors. He made a point of stocking Mexican food staples. How has it worked out to date?

“When we arrived…we were very cognizant of the fact that over 30 percent of the population [in the area] was Hispanic. Each Friday we do a produce distribution that attracts 65 families of which 55 are Hispanic. In addition to the fresh fruits and vegetables that everyone seems to enjoy, we also add, as we are able, items such as tortillas and pinto beans.”

He observes, quite sensibly, “The way to tell if you are meeting their needs is if they come back or tell their friends. Our Friday distribution started with 10 families, and now we are at 65. We must be meeting a community need or the numbers wouldn’t be growing.”

You don’t have to be Mexican American to avail yourself of this fine resource. In fact, you don’t even have to live in the neighborhood. Everyone’s eligible, and the #14 MTC bus stops right on the next corner.

Noyed recalls, “[It’s been] two years, four months and 19 days. Honestly, when you start something from scratch, each and every day counts and is treasured. We are distributing 15,000 pounds of food per month. If each person who comes in receives 15 pounds of food, which is our goal and average, then we are serving about 1,000 people per month.”

As he points out, Jericho Road Ministries is but one such outfit that shops in bulk. The people over at Second Harvest probably have a list, if you’re interested in donating some purchasing power to a good cause.

Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to P.O. Box 50357, Mpls., 55403. 
To see more stories by Dwight Hobbes stories click HERE

Shingles, medically called Herpes Zoster, is a rash caused by reactivation of the chickenpox virus. The rash is very itchy and usually presents with grouped blisters. The rash follows a band-like pattern on the skin, and a big clue is that it does not cross the midline. Often times, the area will feel odd, itchy, tingle or burn a few days before the rash appears.

About 20 percent of people who have chicken pox will develop shingles later in life. Shingles can occur at any age, but most cases occur after age 50. The majority of patients who develop shingles are otherwise healthy.

Why should I care about shingles?

Shingles can be contagious for anyone who has not had the chicken pox. Without treatment, when it resolves, the area can remain extremely painful for years. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia.

What causes shingles?

Once infected with the chickenpox virus, the virus remains in your body, dormant in the nerve roots. We are unsure exactly what triggers the reactivation, but illness, stress, trauma, and immune status may all play a part in causing shingles.

Also, diseases that cause immune weakness such as cancers and AIDS, and medical treatments such as prolonged steroids, radiation, chemotherapy and medicines used in transplants may cause shingles. But you have to have had chicken pox to get shingles.

Shingles on face and chest

How are shingles diagnosed?

Shingles are diagnosed either by the clinical appearance or by a skin biopsy of the rash. Untreated, the rash lasts two to three weeks.

Can shingles be prevented?

The shingles vaccine has been shown to prevent or greatly reduce shingles, if it does appear. The main concern is to prevent the post-herpetic neuralgia. Ask your doctor if the vaccine is right for you.

How are shingles treated?

I use a combination of both antiviral medication and anti-inflammatory medications. This combination speeds healing and reduces the chance of developing post-herpetic neuralgia.

Action steps for anyone with shingles 

1) See a doctor for treatment right away, especially if the rash is on your face, as it could affect your eye/vision, or to prevent complications of shingles such as secondary infection.

2) Ask about anti-inflammatory treatment in conjunction with antiviral treatments to prevent post-herpetic neuralgia.

3) Avoid contact with all who have not had chicken pox until you are non-infectious.

Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD is a board certified dermatologist and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He also has a private practice in Eagan, MN. He has been selected as one of the top 10 dermatologists in the U.S. by Black Enterprise magazine and one of the top 21 African American physicians in the U.S. by the Atlanta Post. Dr. Crutchfield is an active member of the Minnesota Association of Black Physicians, MABP.org.