"Doug Grow: Controversy draws attention to black history display"
JLS---First, thank you Eric Oines for your reminder to all about civility. As one who works in the HC Government Center, upon learning of this controversy I sent a note to County Board Chair Michael Opat expressing my concerns about the potential for perceptions of censorship and especially the perceptions of African American county employees, clients and customers. I had not seen the original photo, but have since twice visited the exhibit, once while it was labeled in progress and again later. I found the exhibit evocative and informative. I appreciate the thoughtful posts by List Members on this subject. Mr. Opat explained in his response to my note of concern that "The photo was removed in favor of a smaller version that will appear along with a copy of the Duluth newspaper story that covered the tragic event." While I think replacing the original photo but adding contextual information would have been preferable, in my view the decision to add the background information about the photo's historic context in Duluth was appropriate. Mr. Bonham already responded to Mr. Kushner's 'who elected Michael Opat' question. Since his election Michael Opat has worked side-by-side with residents of the 1st District to make strategic investments in our communities and to spend scarce tax dollars wisely to achieve results--Humboldt Greenway; CommonBond senior housing (including affordable component); Highway 100 reconstruction; Northwest Corridor Partnership are a few examples with which I am familiar. Further, a document reciting the history of African American settlement in the Shingle Creek community was produced as part of the Humboldt Greenway project. This document was later serialized in the Shingle Creek neighborhood (NRP) newsletter to honor Black History Month. Jordan Kushner of Golden Valley wrote: "...a red herring - a convenient excuse for Opat to avoid dealing with his apparent own discomfort about being confronted with racism. What is also disturbing is that the exhibit was positioned in the basement, instead of in the atrium on the skyway level where many more people pass through and would notice it. Whereas a large cross section of the public passes through the atrium, it is mostly city and county employees that go to the basement of the government center and back and forth between City Hall." JLS--The County "Gallery" is situated where it is--it's not in some art museum. It's on the A-Level space across from the cafeteria renovation, near the waterfall and credit union, on the way to the tunnel between the HCGC and the Municipal Building, but not all that far from the Jury Assembly room. In the record of the County Board it appears that Mr. Opat introduced the resolution to act on immediate approval of a request to use this space for Black History month. If the request was to use the A-Level Gallery (see link below), it hardly seems fair to criticize Mr. Opat or "county bureaucrats" for siting the exhibit at that location. JLS--Mr, Kushner may be correct about the larger cross section of the public that uses the Public Service Level atrium. I may be wrong, but I would have some security concerns regarding the valuable historic artifacts on display were I asked to exhibit them on the crowded Public Service Level. Despite the Government Center escalator construction project that is underway, I suspect HC Public Affairs can work with the African American Historical and Civil Rights Museum to further publicize the Gallery location to visitors to the County building (as if the exhibits needs more media attention, as Doug Grow wrote). And as Doug Grow wrote in the Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3636343.html) "Some background: Months ago, Seals received permission to use an exhibit space in the basement of the Government Center during February, which is Black History Month." JLS--I don't know if approval was granted "months ago" as Doug Grow wrote, and if the formal Board approval was only obtained more recently due to year-end transitions on the Board. Link to County Board actions: http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/countyboard/bdag03/bdag01-28-03/immapp.html ITEMS FOR IMMEDIATE APPROVAL January 28, 2003 Item 10 10A Commissioner Opat Request to use the A-Level Gallery by the African American Historical and Civil Rights Museum for the month of February 2003. 03-1 Jordan Kushner of Golden Valley wrote: "There has been an exhibit about baseball history in Minnesota located in the atrium for months. Why wasn't the Black History exhibit placed in this spot? Is not considered important enough to the county bureaucrats? Or are they concerned about the public being "incited" or provoked from too much meaningful education?..." JLS--I find this commentary/diatribe disingenuous. Is Mr. Kushner referring to the baseball "exhibit" informally installed on plywood construction barriers covering the work space for the Government Center escalator replacement project? I'm no art expert, but I think this display is a mixture of historic photos and reproductions from the Hennepin History Museum collection. Personally, I think the Gallery location is both a more respectful location, is more secure, and allows for more thoughtful consideration, introspection, and reflection by those viewing the important collection provided to the public by Ms. Seals. Again quoting the Star Tribune Doug Grow article, Leola Seals said: "This is my life," she said. "Someday I'm going to have a building. I'm going to have restrooms that have signs: 'White Only,' 'Colored Only.' The idea isn't to be negative. But we need to educate, not downsize." Perhaps List Members can facilitate a constructive outcome to this dialogue by offering ideas about how to assist Ms. Seals to raise private sector funds for a permanent facility in Minneapolis to house her important collection? For example, I'm a member of a nonprofit club that established a memorandum of understanding with MN Historical Society, raised over $10K in private funds in small contributions for MHS, and donated hundreds of hours of volunteer labor in a project to catalogue and preserve part of the Minneapolis-Moline Co. archives at MHS. I urge people to visit the exhibit at the Hennepin County Government Center A-Level Gallery. Directions to Government Center: http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/gcdirect.htm Some Information on Activities during Black History Month: http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/pa/newstips/PAnewstips143.BlackHistory.htm Jeffrey L. Strand Shingle Creek TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
