Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 voted 70-58 to pass a law that would institute universal no-cost school meals statewide it now moves to the Senate where passages is expected. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota House of Representatives
Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 voted 70-58 to pass a law that would institute universal no-cost school meals statewide it now moves to the Senate where passages is expected. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota House of Representatives
The days of students going hungry in Minnesota’s K-12 schools may soon be a thing of the past.
The House voted 70-58 to pass HF5 Thursday evening, which would institute universal no-cost school meals statewide. The bill now moves to the Senate and the measure is a major priority of Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, so his signature is assured if that body acts favorably as well.
“We know hunger is something that too many students bring with them to their classrooms and the current status quo is letting Minnesota schoolchildren go hungry,” said Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-Mpls), the bill’s sponsor. “One in four students experiencing food insecurity come from families that do not qualify for existing nutrition programs in our schools.”
The upshot of the bill is this – one breakfast and one lunch would be guaranteed every school day for any student who wants them. Students would not be charged for these meals.
Currently, schools provide free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch to many students. However, these programs require families to be income qualified and leads to much paperwork on the part of school districts. This bill would remove those barriers by requiring qualifying schools to participate in a federal program known as the Community Eligibility Provision. This program allows for schools to provide meals to all students, regardless of family income.
Funds from the federal government reimburse most costs to school districts under CEP. Schools that don’t qualify for the provision or would not receive a full reimbursement under CEP would continue to make use of other federal subsidies and then receive state aid to cover the remaining costs for feeding students. State payouts to local schools would amount to around $400 million for the upcoming biennium.
Jordan noted the federal government provided universal no-cost school meals nationwide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Minnesota would be joining several other states, including California and Massachusetts, that have decided to implement this at the state level.
Republicans took issue with the bill, arguing it would be fiscally irresponsible to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on school meals for students who can afford them.
“Why are we feeding kids in Edina or rich areas that do not need this extra funding,” asked Rep. Pam Altendorf (R-Red Wing). “We are pushing tax dollars where they’re not needed.”
To that end, amendments offered by Rep. Peggy Bennett (R-Albert Lea) and Rep. Krista Knudsen (R-Lake Shore) would have raised the income threshold to qualify for no-cost school meals rather than providing them on a universal basis. Both were defeated on a 59-70 party line vote.
Although most people with COVID-19 will get better after a few weeks, some do not fully recover from their illness. Even a mild case of COVID-19 can lead to long-term symptoms. Long COVID is impacting thousands of Minnesotans. Some may struggle with work, school, and family life. Care and support may be available.
If you are experiencing symptoms of long COVID, medical and social support may be available to you. Explore the lists below to learn more.
For culturally-specific assistance with COVID-19 issues, understanding the effects of COVID-19, or finding mental health resources, search the listing of COVID-19 Community Coordinators.
Lizzo performs a medley at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP
Lizzo performs a medley at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Photo: Chris Pizzello/AP
NEW YORK (AP) — An estimated 12.4 million people tuned in to watch stars Harry Styles, Lizzo and Bad Bunny perform at the Grammy Awards, along with a tribute to 50 years of rap history.
That’s up from the pandemic-affected broadcasts of the last two years, the Nielsen company said on Monday. Live viewership was 8.8 million in 2021 and 8.9 million in 2022.
While the Grammys bounced back, it didn’t reach the viewership levels of pre-COVID days. Music’s showcase night was seen by 18.7 million people in 2020.
Live television viewership has declined across-the-board over the past few years, with pro football one of the few events to buck the trend.
There was no immediate estimate of how viewing broke down between CBS and its sister streaming service, Paramount+, which also covered the awards. The number is likely to increase slightly when delayed viewing is counted later.
Africans bagged multiple Grammys in two different categories last night at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Nigerian musician Temilade Openiyi, who goes by the stage name Tems, won a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap performance for her song with Future and Drake “Wait for U,” becoming the first Nigerian female artist to win a Grammy. This is the 27-year old’s first Grammy.
DJ Edu, host of BBC’s music show This Is Africa, said Tems has a “unique” style.
“It’s great to see Tems getting this recognition. She’s always stood out from the crowd, being true to her own unique sound and style, and I’m really happy she’s achieved such heights without having to conform,” he told BBC News.
The South African trio of Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman won the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last night for their song “Bayethe”.
“I want to say we’re coming from Africa, from South Africa. And this moment we’re here for anybody who is in Africa just proves and affirms every dream is valid. I want to say thank you very much to the Academy. To each and every one and for every child in the ghetto, in the village, know it’s possible,” Bantwini said in his acceptance speech.
Nomcebo Zikode is the singer that gave the world the hit “Jerusalema” which she referenced in her acceptance speech.
Nigerian musician Tems (left), real name Temilade Openiyi, became the first Nigerian female to win a Grammy. On the right is the South African trio of Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman won the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. Photos: Courtesy the Grammys
“Thank you so much to God. You know I once gave the world a song that took the world by storm. The world that got us together, but I didn’t get this nomination or this award. But God was saying to me, ‘Don’t worry my daughter, I will give you Bayethe. Thank you so much to my mom. Thank you so much to my husband, Selwyn Fraser. Believe me, this is yours. Your support is amazing. Thank you so much to all my team. Thank you,” said Zikode.
“Thank you so much. This is such a beautiful moment. On the road to sharing South African culture with the world, thank you Nomcebo and Zakes for your incredible creativity and
thanks to all the musicians that work on the album,” Kellerman said in his acceptance speech.
The category is not part of the live televised award ceremony. That globally televised Grammy ceremony was hosted by fellow South African Trevor Noah.
The category was dominated by Africans this year with three of the four nominees being from Africa. There was Uganda’s Eddy Kenzo for his song with Matt B “Gimme Love” and Nigeria’s Burna Boy for his “Last Last” as well as Ghanaian Rocky Dawuni featuring Blvk H3ro for “Neva Bow Down.”
On Friday, February 3, 2023, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday. The law’s sponsor in the Minnesota House was Rep. Ruth Richardson and, in the Senate, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion of Minneapolis, both Democrats. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota Governor’s Office
On Friday, February 3, 2023, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday. The law’s sponsor in the Minnesota House was Rep. Ruth Richardson and, in the Senate, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion of Minneapolis, both Democrats. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota Governor’s Office
Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Friday making Juneteenth a state holiday, enabling Minnesota to join 24 other states and the District of Columbia that recognize it as such. With the governor’s signature, it means state government offices will be closed and state workers get a paid day off.
“Juneteenth is an important opportunity for communities across the state and nation to celebrate freedom, recognize the history and contributions of Black Americans, and recommit to building a more just and equitable society for everyone,” Gov. Walz said at a ceremony at the Capitol flanked by legislative leaders and the bill authors, noting that creating it as a state holiday was long overdue.
Juneteenth is celebrated annually around the country on the 19th of June to mark the day the last of those still enslaved in confederate territory received the message that chattel slavery in the United States had come to an end.
The official handwritten record of General Order No. 3, which is preserved at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, announcing, “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious areas “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
However, it was not until June 19, 1865 when Maj. Gen. Gordon led 2,000 Union troops into Galveston Bay, Texas and issued General Order No. 3 and announced all 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree.
The day came to be known as Juneteenth. The official General Order No. 3 is preserved at the National Archives building in Washington, DC.
Rep. Ruth Richardson of Mendota Heights was the bill’s sponsor in the Minnesota House while Sen. Bobby Joe Champion of Minneapolis sponsored the companion bill on the Senate side. Sen. Champion is the state Senate’s first Black president. Both are Democrats and were present to witness the signing.
At the bill signing of the Juneteenth bill by Gov. Walz on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 at the Capitol was the bill’s sponsor in the House, Rep. Ruth Richardson of Mendota Heights, left with Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. Photo: Courtesy Minnesota Governor’s Office
It’s about freedom; it’s about liberty, but it’s also about an imperfect freedom because slavery legally exists in this nation,” Rep. Richardson told a House committee last month according to Session Daily. “To be clear Black enslaved men contributed to the independence of our nation and fought in the Revolutionary War.
“… The celebration of Juneteenth provides space for all of us to reflect on a more inclusive definition of freedom. The end of chattel slavery in this country is an important milestone worthy of recognition and worthy of celebration. And it’s a step in the right direction of truly living up to the promise of this nation that all are created equal.”
Gov. Walz also on Friday ceremonially signed the CROWN Act. He had officially signed it earlier in the week. The bill passed both houses last week and prohibits hair-based discrimination towards individuals seeking employment, housing, and other public assistance programs and services.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., leaves the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. House Republicans have voted to oust Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The vote in a raucous session on Thursday to remove the Somali-born Muslim lawmaker came after her past comments critical of Israel. Photo:Jose Luis Magana/AP
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., leaves the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. House Republicans have voted to oust Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The vote in a raucous session on Thursday to remove the Somali-born Muslim lawmaker came after her past comments critical of Israel. Photo:Jose Luis Magana/AP
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who got the job last month after the longest speaker’s election in American history since the eve of the Civil War, made good on his promise to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In a party line vote of 218-211, she was removed on what Republicans have said are “antisemitic and anti-American remarks.” Rep. Omar has since apologized for remarks she made in the past regarding Jews.
The removal of Rep. Omar is seen as revenge by Republicans for the removal of two of their members, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and Rep. Paul Gosar, from committee assignments in 2021 when Democrats were in control.
Democrats had removed Greene after remarks comparing COVID-19 mask requirements and vaccinations to Nazi Germany. Prior to joining Congress, Rep. Greene had made an antisemitic claim that a space laser was used to start a California wildfire. Gosar on his part had shared an anime clip showing him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Both Greene and Gosar were reinstated back to committees last month after Republicans took control of the House.
Congresswoman Omar who is serving a third term has always faced death threats since assuming office and this week was no exception as news of her impending ouster gained steam.
Yesterday, Rep. Omar tweeted a voicemail she received this week in which a man said “I’ll put a bullet in your f—— head and get the f— out of my country.”
Rep. Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in 2018 became the first Muslim women elected to Congress. After their election, when Democrats took over the House in January 2019, they pushed through a rule change to overhaul a 181-year-old rule that banned hats from the floor to allow those like Rep. Omar that wear a hijab.
On Thursday, in a defiant speech on the House floor shortly before the vote, Rep. Omar said, “My leadership and voice will not be diminished if I am not on this committee for one term … my voice will get louder and stronger.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the first Black person to lead a major party in Congress, announced that he will seat the ousted Congresswoman in the Budget Committee. Her ouster from the Foreign Affairs Committee does not affect her membership in the Education and Labor Committee where she also currently sits.
“The highly partisan vote to remove @Ilhan was not about accountability,” Jeffries tweeted. “It was about political revenge. I will move immediately to seat Rep. Omar on the House Budget Committee. Where she will defend Democratic values against right-wing extremism.”
The sons of Minnesota SDA Conference president Dr. Daniel Honoré, Gamaliel on the left and Gabriel on the right, carry their father’s casket out of The Edge SDA Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota to be loaded into the hearse after funeral services on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
The sons of Minnesota SDA Conference president Dr. Daniel Honoré, Gamaliel on the left and Gabriel on the right, carry their father’s casket out of The Edge SDA Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota to be loaded into the hearse after funeral services on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. Mshale Staff Photo by Richard Ooga
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. – Hundreds of people filled the sanctuary of The Edge SDA Church on Sunday to honor and pay their respects to the Minnesota SDA Conference president Dr. Daniel Honoré, who was remembered as a fearless evangelist determined to win souls for Christ.
The funeral service was attended by SDA Conference presidents from around the country, including the Northeastern Conference that Dr. Honoré led for nine years before coming to the Minnesota Conference last year, as well as the city’s mayor – Hollies Winston.
The SDA leaders from across the country were led by Dr. G. Alexander Bryant, president of the North America division who also delivered the sermon. Globally, the 22-million-member Seventh Day Adventist Church is organized into 13 divisions which includes the North America division. Individual SDA churches in a state or province – in the case of the US and Canada – are organized into a local conference, such as the Minnesota Conference. Those conferences in turn are grouped into local unions. The Minnesota Conference for example belongs to the Mid-America Union, which is under the umbrella of the North America division that Dr. Bryant currently heads.
A Master Guide color guard, led by Collins Maranga, escorted the casket into the church where almost every seat was taken and thousands more watched via livestream. By the time service started, the wintry morning had warmed up to one degree Fahrenheit.
A set of handheld bells, belonging to the Maplewood Academy handbell choir, lined the entire stage and served as backdrop to the powerful service.
Throughout the 3-hour plus service, SDA pastors from churches around the conference took turns standing guard by the casket.
Dr. Honoré’s wife Fritze and four children sat together as leaders and friends spoke to their beloved’s character and legacy.
Dr. Daniel Honoré, President of the Minnesota Conference of SDA Churches who died on Jan. 13, 2023 was honored during a funeral service on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at The Edge Christian Worship Center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Photo: Courtesy of Minnesota Conference of SDA Adventists
A recurring theme from speakers on Sunday was Dr. Honoré’s dedication to ministry, and the many ways he used to win souls to the Kingdom of God over the years.
“He was very passionate about evangelism and Christian education, during his brief period here of four months Dr. Honoré visited and preached at about 10 churches across the state of Minnesota, including visiting Maplewood Academy,” Pastor Eric Mokua, vice president for administration at the Minnesota Conference, said during the service.
Regarding Maplewood Academy, Pastor Mokua shared Dr. Honoré’s vision was for the school, which is based in Hutchinson, Minn. – about an hour west of the Twin Cities- to provide an Adventist education to anyone who needed it without regard to cost.
His brother, Dr. Joel Honoré, gave some insight into their growing up years. He said many underestimated his brother in his early years.
“Yet Daniel was the first of us to graduate college, he also earned two bachelor degrees in less time than it took his younger brother took to earn one,” said Dr. Honoré, as he praised his brother as a hard worker and a loving family man. “Just for the record, Daniel earned two doctorate degrees while his brother just earned one.”
Dr. Honoré was eulogized by his four children who took turns reading the eulogy in the program that was handed out featuring a smiling face of their father in a checked blue suit and multicolored bowtie.
A great storyteller all-around, Dr. Honoré will be remembered for his frequent jokes and riddles just as much as his sermons, said Gamaliel Honoré, his oldest son. He was a true family man and seeing them use their gifts of music in church was his greatest joy.
His widow, Fritze Honoré, described her husband as someone who had a “tight connection with God.”
“He wanted others to know of this great and wonderful loving savior in whom all of us lay our hopes. My husband was not sick. My husband was not sickly. My husband was not ill. He simply went to sleep and did not wake up,” Mrs. Honoré told mourners.
Mrs. Honoré offered a glimpse into their marriage of 34 years.
“My husband loved me and I loved him,” she said, going on to state that they were in constant communication with one another, whether through calls or texting. Earlier, Savannah Carlson, the human resources director at the Minnesota Conference read Psalms 23 during the service. She said Mrs. Honoré told her the psalm held a “special place in their family’s hearts as they would often read it together in the evenings.”
During the moving service, a montage of photos from Dr. Honoré’s family and ministry life was shown on a video screen.
The service also included a short video of Oakwood University president Leslie Pollard offering condolences. All four of Dr. Honoré’s children graduated from the historically Black Seventh-day Adventist university located in Huntsville, Alabama.
Pastor Sean Lee of Southview Church in Bloomington, Minn. sang a powerful rendition of “No More Night”, whose lyrics include “No more pain. No more tears. Never crying again”, to set the stage for Dr. Bryant’s sermon.
The late Dr. Honoré had a leader’s bearing, said Dr. Bryant. He recalled a trip by various conference leaders to Africa that was a way of “reconnecting with our roots” as a tremendous time of brotherhood that he will never forget.
Dr. Bryant elicited laughter when he said when they got to Kenya, Blasious Ruguri, the president of the East-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists upon seeing Dr. Honoré who towered over everyone else, promptly declared him the ‘Chief.’
“I don’t care what all your titles are but he is the chief,” President Ruguri would tell members of the conference delegation pointing to Dr. Honoré.
“Dr. Honoré made an indelible impression upon this church and this world,” Dr. Bryant said. “I would like to say to Gamaliel, Gabriel, Nathanael, Danielle and Fritze on behalf of the SDA Church, we thank you for the sacrifices you have made throughout the years in sharing your father and husband with this church, and the ministry that he has had and the impact he has had on the lives of so many. We are a better church because he passed this way”
Excitement grows for upcoming Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol on Feb. 3
As the first Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Minnesota Capitol nears, the event’s creator is encouraging attendance from small business owners of color—and all Minnesotans who want to see them grow and prosper.
“When I talk to white people who would like to join us, they ask, will I stick out? I say you’re not sticking out, you’re sticking up for Black businesses,” said Sheletta Brundidge, whose podcasting platform SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com is presenting the event.
“Dr. King never walked with just Black people,” Sheletta added. “The allies were with him, white people, Jewish people, Muslim people. Change can only happen with unity.”
Because some Black small business owners would lose money by leaving their work to attend the Capitol event, Sheletta has found allies in the business community to offset such losses. Three Black entrepreneurs who attend will receive a $1000 grant. The grant money was generously donated by allies
Hylden Law and Advocacy, Grey Duck Vodka and the St. Paul Saints.
Among the business owners, state government leaders, elected State Representatives and State Senators and other dignitaries in attendance at the Capitol Rotunda on Feb. 3 will be Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
“Sheletta is a total powerhouse. I’m proud to stand with her in the people’s house where the issues of Black business owners can be lifted up,” Lt. Gov. Flanagan told the Spokesman Recorder.
“Black Entrepreneurs Day is right on time as we are in this moment to push a budget grounded in equity. Minnesota’s economy has long faced disparities between white and Black citizens. We have the power to change that in this session and for generations to come.”
Flanagan said supporting measures and money to strengthen and invest in Black businesses will have a far-reaching impact.
“Our administration’s One Minnesota budget prioritizes equity in its vision to make Minnesota the best place to live. This investment is right and just, but breaking down barriers is also good for our whole economy,” she said. “We have an historic opportunity to invest in the Black community. It’s within our power to make right a history of wrongs.”
A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, the lieutenant governor is the nation’s highest ranking Native woman elected to executive office. Flanagan noted that the newly elected legislature is the most diverse in state history.
“Diversity is good for democracy and decision making,” she said. “As an Indigenous woman I know that when Black businesses are successful, it’s good for my community and other communities of color. Our small businesses are job creators and as important to the state as our Fortune 500 companies,” she said.
Flanagan said she is looking forward to meeting Black entrepreneurs and listening to their concerns, then joining them for lunch in The Vault in the Capitol Basement.
“I hope a lot of people come and celebrate the culture we have and should invest in,” she said. “And we’ll be with Sheletta so of course that means it will be fun. You can’t not have fun when you’re with her!”
ShelettaMakesMeLaugh presents BLACK ENTREPRENEURS DAY AT THE CAPITOL
Feb 3, 2023
10:30 Program, speakers in Rotunda
11:00 to 12:00 Participants visit legislators in their offices
Noon to 1:00 Lunch in The Vault
To register to attend go to SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com
Three Black entrepreneurs who attend will each receive a $1000 grant generously donated by Hylden Law and Advocacy, Grey Duck Vodka and the St. Paul Saints.
Assistant Majority Leader Esther Agbaje who represents District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives is the chief author of the companion bill in the House of the CROWN Act that bans hair-based discrimination that passed in the Minnesota Senate on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Walz. Photo: Minnesota House of Representatives YouTube
Assistant Majority Leader Esther Agbaje who represents District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives is the chief author of the companion bill in the House of the CROWN Act that bans hair-based discrimination that passed in the Minnesota Senate on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Walz. Photo: Minnesota House of Representatives YouTube
Just two months after elections, Minnesotans are feeling the effects of a Democratic-controlled Minnesota legislature, with the passing of the long-awaited CROWN Act. The bill prohibits hair-based discrimination toward individuals seeking employment, housing, and other public assistance programs and services, according to the Library of Congress.
“The CROWN Act will ensure that no Minnesotan, now or in the future, can be discriminated against because of their natural hair,” said Bobby Joe Champion, chief author of the bill and the first Black president of the Minnesota Senate. “This kind of discrimination disproportionately affects Black women, who deserve to experience a welcoming environment in our state.”
CROWN Coalition has been leading a national campaign to outlaw discrimination against natural hair. CROWN is an acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair, according to the coalition’s website. The act was first passed at the federal level in September 2020, and has since been adopted by 19 other states, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. In Minnesota, the House previously passed the CROWN Act in 2020 and 2022, but it was ultimately rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate. But in November, Democrats achieved a trifecta, giving them control of the governorship, the Senate, and the House, which paved the way for the CROWN Act to sail smoothly at all legislative levels.
The bill identifies hair-based discrimination as racial discrimination. It says that hair styles viewed generally as unique to Black people, such as “tightly coiled or tightly curled hair, locks, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros” are often subject to more scrutiny in school, work, and other public settings.
In a statement, the People of Color and Indigenous caucus in the Minnesota legislature, said that the CROWN Act, added to the existing Minnesota Human Rights Act a definition of race that is “inclusive of natural hairstyles and textures.” The statement also called out racial discrimination against Black natural hair, saying it “harms the African heritage community and hinders the overall potential and productivity of Minnesota’s economy”.
“Recognizing the right to wear natural hair in the workplace is another step toward creating a more inclusive Minnesota,” Champion said.
Assistant Majority Leader Esther Agbaje, the Nigerian American representing District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives, said she was proud of her colleagues for the passage of the CROWN Act. Agbaje, who was the chief author of the companion bill in the House of Representatives, also said that hair had been used as a proxy for race to deter qualified and talented individuals from applying for jobs and showing up to spaces as their authentic selves.
“The passing of the CROWN Act signifies our commitment to ensuring every Minnesotan, especially our young children from Black and Brown communities, are given the opportunity to be themselves and feel empowered to be themselves,” Agbaje said.
Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks.
“Great nations do not ignore their most painful moments,” Champion said. “They face them. This is about acknowledging our nation’s struggles, celebrating our history, and recognizing the importance of forging our future together.”
The White House on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023 announced President Biden has nominated former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun, left, and Dr. Monde Muyangwa, right, the USAID assistant administrator in Bureau for Africa as board members to United States African Development Foundation (USADF). Photos: Courtesy of PBS and USAID
The White House on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023 announced President Biden has nominated former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun, left, and Dr. Monde Muyangwa, right, the USAID assistant administrator in Bureau for Africa as board members to United States African Development Foundation (USADF). Photos: Courtesy of PBS and USAID
President Biden on Monday announced the nominations of Monde Muyangwa and Carol Moseley Braun to the board of United States African Development Foundation (USADF), the independent U.S. Government agency that provides grants of up to $250,000 to African enterprises and social entrepreneurs.
Born and raised in Zambia, Dr. Muyangwa currently serves as the assistant administrator in the Bureau for Africa at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a role she has held since September 2022.
Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman to serve as U.S. Senator, will become chair of the USADF board taking over from Obama appointee Jack Leslie, the White House announced.
The appointments come soon after the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit the president hosted in Washington in December, where he pledged America’s commitment of more than $55 billion to help 50 countries combat food insecurity and the climate change factors that lead to it.
Prior to her role at USAID, Dr. Muyangwa was director of the Africa Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where the White House says she “led programs and research designed to analyze and offer practical, actionable options for addressing some of Africa’s most critical, current, and over-the-horizon issues.”
For 11 years starting 2002, Dr. Muyangwa was the dean of academics at the National Defense University’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS).
Dr. Muyangwa is a Rhodes scholar and received a doctoral degree in international relations, a bachelor’s degree in politics, philosophy and economics, both from the University of Oxford in England. She also has a bachelor’s in public administration and economics from the University of Zambia.
Carol Moseley Braun made history in 1993 when she was sworn in as the first Black woman U.S. Senator representing Illinois, and only the second Black senator since the Reconstruction Era, according to congressional records.
After her time in the Senate, Braun went on to be the United States ambassador to New Zealand, following an appointment by President Clinton. She serves on several public service boards and commissions, including the DuSable Museum of African American History and has been awarded several honorary degrees, the White House said.
Funeral services for Dr. Daniel Honoré, President of the Minnesota Conference of SDA Churches, will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at The Edge Christian Worship Center in Brooklyn park, Minnesota. Photo: Courtesy of Minnesota Conference of SDA Adventists
Funeral services for Dr. Daniel Honoré, President of the Minnesota Conference of SDA Churches, will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at The Edge Christian Worship Center in Brooklyn park, Minnesota. Photo: Courtesy of Minnesota Conference of SDA Adventists
Funeral services have been announced for Dr. Daniel Honoré, the president of the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists who died in his sleep on January 13.
A public viewing for Dr. Honoré is set for 10-10:45 a.m. Jan. 29 at The Edge Christian Worship Center, 4707 Edinbrook Terrace in Brooklyn Park, followed by services at 11:00 a.m. A repast will follow the service.
A service is also planned for New York where he was president of the Northeastern Conference for nine years before coming to Minnesota. Time and venue for the New York service had not been announced at the time of this writing.
Dr. Honoré was just into his fifth month of leading the Minnesota conference when he died. He started in September 2022.
“Daniel firmly believed that God called him to Minnesota, and his plans for furthering God’s work in this territory emphasized his passion for evangelism and education,” said Eric Mokua, vice president for administration at the conference, in a statement posted on the conference website.
The Minnesota Conference of Seventh Day Adventists has a membership of almost 11,000 in 78 churches. A significant number of its members are African immigrant families, with a department within the conference headquarters dedicated to serving the needs of its African immigrant churches.
Dr. Honoré was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to a Haitian father and a Dominican mother and was a second-generation ministry worker. He first practiced law with two offices in Boston, Massachusetts before he went into ministry. He later shared that he knew that he wanted to go to ministry work during his time as a lawyer, a law career that saw him helping families in Boston through the Concilio Hispano De Cambridge and as an investigator with the Boston Fair Housing Commission.
As the executive director of Mattapan-Dorchester Churches in Action, he trained local leaders on developing strategies for solving community problems.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Fritze, and three young adult sons and one daughter, Gamaliel, Nathanael, Gabriel and Danielle.
Instead of flowers, the family is asking well-wishers to donate to the Daniel Honoré Educational Endowment Fund that the Minnesota Conference has setup in his honor. The link is bit.ly/3HfNvw7.
“We hope this endowment fund will allow Adventist education to thrive and grow in Minnesota for years to come,” said Gayln Bowers, vice president for finance at the Minnesota Conference.
