Category Archives: Take Action

Equity and Education in Vaccine Distribution

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The Many Facets of Partnership

For its entire history, The Junior League of Minneapolis has played a major role in bringing about many of the social reforms that our community has needed. We have embraced individuality and strive for inclusion.  But we have not done this alone. We have maximized our impact through strategic external partnerships and volunteer action in pursuit of our mission: to close the opportunity gap.

Black people make up 6% of the population of Minnesota, but have made up only 3.5% of Minnesota’s vaccine recipients. This is most likely due to structural biases and barriers. While there has been a troubled history of being ignored or actively mistreated by health care professionals in the U.S., blaming the gap wholly on distrust in the system misplaces the responsibility onto Black Americans around vaccinations and distracts us from the real reasons why the inoculation rate is lower: access and equity.

Jan Malcolm, the Minnesota state health commissioner, has said the state is committed to doing more to expand vaccine access to people of color, including getting more doses to community pharmacies, partnering with local groups and deploying mobile vaccination clinics. (see MPR article here here). “A recent expansion in eligibility will steer more doses to minority members who have suffered higher rates of severe illness and death.” (see Star Tribune article here).

Included in the race to vaccinate  are various “vaccine connectors”,  tools that help Minnesotans find out when, where, and how to get a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information and to share additional resources with your Minnesota neighbors, please visit the following websites or hotlines:

Vaccine Connector here Vaccine Spotter here Vaccine Finder here

Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline: 1-833-431-2053

Link

Our constitution is a remarkable document that serves as a pillar for our country’s freedom and democracy. However, the document itself is not without its flaws, as is evident by the 27 amendments that have since followed since it was written in 1787. One of those amendments, the 19th amendment, was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920 –finally giving women the right to vote. Well, some women. Because until the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, women of color were still largely prohibited from voting in many states.

Just seeing the timeline and facts of these events shows us how incredibly flawed, complicated, and exclusive women’s suffrage proved to be. Like our Constitution, this movement was vital to our country’s evolution, but it was an inadequate moment in our history by excluding so many. As an organization that develops women, all women, it is incumbent upon us as civic leaders to acknowledge this fact and learn about the different angles of the story of suffrage in the United States.

It is undeniable that our communities become a better place when they are more diverse and inclusive. To move the world in that direction, we must first acknowledge the foundation upon which we stand and look ahead to where we want to be. Because of this, the Junior League has is hosting a centennial celebration of the 19th amendment called “When We All Vote”. This event is meant to discover how the 19th amendment in 1920 is part of a much larger and longer story about the pursuit of voting rights, a struggle that is both unfinished and ongoing. Please join us for the virtual event below celebrating a decades-long effort about using the power of your voice and envisioning a more just future:

Save the Date!

Announcing a Special Event August 18th Honoring the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Mark your calendars to join us on Tuesday, August 18th at 6:30 pm CT/7:30 pm ET for “Why the Women’s Vote Matters,” a powerful panel conversation —exclusively for Junior League Members—exploring the complicated history of the 19th Amendment.

Our Panelists are:

Jordan Brooks, Executive Director, The United State of Women

Stephanie Young, Managing Director, When We All Vote

We will be joined by Grammy® and Golden Globe® Nominated Actress, Singer and Songwriter Mandy Moore to get you revved up and excited! RSVP here: https://www.ajli.org/?nd=workshop_detail&workshop_id=240

Back to Books

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Written by Elizabeth Gill

Do you have a stack of books that you have been meaning to read? How did that pile grow, what compelled you to purchase these books? What enticed you to buy those at the bookstore? Was it the clever title or interesting cover that sparked an interest?

Back to school season is upon us and as a teacher, it is an especially poignant time for me.  I love the new starts that it brings: new colleagues, new students, new parents, and new school supplies! 

Over this past summer, I have been reflecting on all of the places that I’ve been a teacher.  I taught in struggling schools in St. Louis, Missouri before moving up here and getting to teach in a top district in the Twin Cities area.  In each and every building, the language arts teachers are passionate about books and teaching students lifelong literacy skills. The differences have been in the resources given to teachers to meet that goal. 

Textbook-Only Teaching

The linoleum floor gazed up at me in all its green and cracked glory.  I had to be careful when I went to work with Trinity because her desk was next to a spot in the floor where I could see the brown subfloor, and I didn’t want to catch my heel on it again.  Surprisingly, the textbook on Trinity’s desk was brand new. I spoke with her teacher about it and the district had purchased the whole textbook suite, including workbooks, the year before.  It was a last-ditch effort to get reading scores up. But the single-use workbooks were not for students to write in. Who knew if those would ever be purchased again? To be safe, the teacher had those stored behind her desk.  There weren’t enough for everyone anyway.  

I was impressed by the textbook.  It had well-written stories by well-known authors.  The interior had full color illustrations and deep questions at the end of each tale.  

The students didn’t read them.  

Sure, they read a few stories as a class. Yet, there was no time for students to leaf through and find a story to read on their own.  The textbooks were heavy and thick. None of the students seemed interested in trying to find anything to read there. No other books were available.  During my year there as a student teacher, it was rare for me to observe students reading anything that wasn’t in the textbook or being read to them.  

They were 7th grade students in one of the most poverty stricken schools in the region. 

Fully-Funded Teaching

“Think of this as a book spa. We have our books organized by content level, reading level, interest level. With the district budget each grade can choose between 95 and 100 books and those will all be ordered for each ELA classroom districtwide.”

The sixth grade language arts teachers met as a group for an hour and a half surrounded by newly published books, award-winning books graphic novels and high-quality picture books. We were each able to take a cart and gather a collection of books that we thought would be great for our students and would connect with our students to build their identities as readers. We debated the merits of individual books and selected books that students would want to read and could be challenged by.  

When we went to scan the books and order them, we had enough money to go back and choose another book to add to our list.  Each sixth grade reading classroom in three different middle schools was going to receive 97 brand new, never-been-read-before books.  Each seventh and eighth grade classroom was going to receive their own stack. Oh, and a teacher that teaches seventh and eighth grade? She would receive almost 200 new books without ever having to buy anything herself. 

Book Access and the Opportunity Gap

You know that phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover?” 

Young students DO judge based on what a book looks like. Certain characteristics are more important to students than adults, particularly the age of a book, the pictures on its cover, and the summary on the back. These all work together to entice a student to read or, horribly, prejudice a student against a book.  Effective literacy programs embed choice reading, so more books that students want to read translates well into increased skills and abilities in reading. For school districts that have a budget tightened by poverty, teachers are the ones building the libraries out of their own funds. Direct donations of books and grants for buying books go a long way towards impacting the opportunity gap.  

As we think about the fresh beginnings that come with the back to school season, think about what you can do to freshen a child’s classroom library.  

Call to Action

Help encourage a child to read: The Junior League of Minneapolis will be helping all children enjoy the excitement of the Scholastic Book Fair by sponsoring the whole 3rd grade class of Partnership Academy, the school that HOMES partners with on science activities. At the September GMM we would love you to write encouraging words on book plates that will go into the front pages of these books. Due to the large Spanish speaking population in the school, our focus will be to include books in Spanish and about science. Kids will be able to choose their own books which is just as much fun as you remember!

Watch a documentary on the Opportunity Gap in Minneapolis: Love Them First – Lessons from Lucy Laney Elementary is a Kare 11 News Channel Originals Screening about a school in North Minneapolis. There will be a screening at Riverview Theater on 9/5 and on television on 9/12. Join the JLM at the screening on the 5th. 

Ready to make an impact? Be an advocate.

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Today a record 127 women were sworn into Congress. Media headlines are proclaiming that 2018 was the year of the woman in politics. Have you been feeling motivated to get involved and step up but not sure where to start?

Luckily we don’t all have to jump in and run for office, (but if you want to, please do!) there are many ways we can make an impact in our own backyard. In the next several months we’ll be profiling other Junior Leaguers that are advocates in our community. We hope their stories will inspire your path to advocacy as well.

Laura Monn Ginsburg

Laura working on Jacob Frey’s campaign, arranging his press gaggle for his acceptance speech.

How are you an advocate?

Professionally, I own a public affairs firm where I get to advocate for clients like environmental organizations, transportation equity organizations, and disability organizations. My company was founded as a General Benefit Corporation which means we’re a mission-based organization. Our mission is to promote social justice and equity and environmental sustainability.

Personally, I advocate through a bunch of nonprofits. I’ve worked to find groups that reflect my values and principles and then join their advocacy efforts which include things like rallies at the Capitol, meeting with legislators, and being invested in how my government represents me.

I’ve also volunteered to work on campaigns of people and issues I believe in. This has given me the opportunity to door-knock, network, phone bank, write postcards, drop signs/literature, and learn more about the political process and how things really work and change. You find out what you like to do and just do more of it!

How did you learn to be an advocate?

By doing 🙂 Honestly, the best way to learn to be an advocate is to show up. You don’t need to do anything fancy, you don’t need to know anything specific, and you don’t have to worry that you aren’t prepared — being you, a constituent, a feeling person, a thoughtful citizen who knows what she cares about — you are ready just as you are.

Ask questions, ask to meet your representatives (they work for YOU — don’t forget it!), and ask yourself what matters most to you. If you see someone around you who is active in a way that interests you, ask them how they got involved and how you can, too.

What are skills that would be good to know?

Being a good communicator who is clear in what she thinks and feels is your best asset. Whether you’re at a planning meeting, you’re showing up at an event or rally, or you’re meeting with a representative, having a clear, concise message that’s authentic and personal is the biggest skill you need.

Having good handwriting for signs is also helpful.

Laura at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C.

Thanks Laura!
Are you an advocate and want to share your story?
Please contact Kelly Ptacek to post your profile.

General Post – SPECIAL FEATURE Marta Haynes – Defining Sisterhood

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Sisterhood: Fostering an enviroment of authencitcy, empowerment and success

Last week, I attended the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit in Phoenix, Arizona.  My leadership chain (all men) nominated me to attend and provided sponsorship.  To be totally honest, I felt both honored and nervous.  I am 100% caucasian, and I didn’t know how I would be received by fellow conference attendees.  Nonetheless, I was excited to attend and firmly committed to listen with big, wide-open ears; afterall, how many times do I as a white person get a chance to be “in the minority”?

The moment I set foot on the conference site, I could feel the amped up energy.  Once I put on my conference badge, I was approached by many conference attendees – greeting me, asking me where I was from, welcoming me… I was actually feeling quite sheepish and shy!  This all felt like a lot to take in, and I wanted to retreat into a protective shell.

As I attended sessions, I noticed the distinct themes of authenticity, personal integrity, and sisterhood.  The importance of being seen for who you really are.  I actually felt quite envious as I heard story after story of woman helping woman.  How can I find a group like THAT?  I would love to have some of what they have!  Why have I never truly experienced this? Do I REALLY feel seen?  Am I REALLY comfortable with expressing my authenticity?

About a day and a half into the conference, I had my big “aha” moment:  the discomfort and self-consciousness I was feeling was not the result of any experience I have EVER had with any community of women who were different from me.  All of the insecurity I was feeling came as a result of my experience with interacting with groups of caucasian females – women just like me!  Tears immediately sprang to my eyes and I turned to the ladies sitting next to me, and with all the raw vulnerability I was experiencing in that moment – I shared my heart.  And you know what happened next?  My heart was unabashedly received.  The lady sitting next to me grabbed my hands and leaned forward and thanked me – “do you promise to come back next year and bring other people who think like you, too?  This conference is for everyone – and now that you know our struggle, now that you hear our voice, you are in a better position to help us.”  I asked the three caucasian ladies in my work group (total conference attendees = 1,500), and they too shared stories of competition, woundedness, judgment and rejection, all from predominantly caucasian groups of women.

Ladies – of COURSE I thought about the JLM.  We want to stay true to our mission and foster an environment that truly empowers women.  We want to continue to attract and retain a diverse base of members – so that a broad range of women’s voices will be represented.  The following list summarizes some key learnings from the conference… If you think this sounds remotely interesting, I encourage you to consider attending the conference next year!  I will be.

 

  • Individuals who are being truly authentic foster supportive environments. When we show up as individuals – honoring our unique abilities, physical attritbutes, and ways that we bring value, we create an environment that gives others permission to do the same.  Individuals are inspired to action in these environments.  Teams achieve goals in these environments.  It is perfectly acceptable to take risks, set big goals – and even fail – in these environments.
  • When one lady wins, we all win! This entire concept of celebrating others’ successes as if they were are own was discussed frequently throughout the conference.  It really boils down to a worldview of abundance versus scarcity.  What do I mean by that?  I celebrate others’ successes as much as my own because I realize that there are abundant opportunities for me to win/contribute.  I do not live in a “zero-sum game” kind of world.  A world view of scarcity comes from deeply rooted fear and insecurity: “when she wins, I lose”, “there is not enough for me and her”, “I will not have enough”.  This does not foster an environment of sisterhood, much less an environment of high-performance.
  • Support your sisters publicly, protect the “inner circle”. This concept basically highlights the importance of presenting a unified front to the world.  What does this look like?  It means presenting a unified image to our JLM community partners, it means discussing conflict 1:1 in a private setting with the indivdual(s) directly involved, it means refusing to engage in gossip or discussion that reduces another in the eyes of others.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us…. Love is what we are born with.  Fear is what we learned here.”  ~~ Marianne Williamson

JLM Advocacy: Providing Education to inspire action

DO Something about it: Action to Advocacy

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Policy Action Center, their homepage states: keeps you informed on important education issues, helps you find and track legislation, connects you with Congress and gives you the tools you need to be a successful education advocate.

Here is the Education Minnesota’s main site: http://www.educationminnesota.org/advocacy

JLM Advocacy: Providing education to inspiring members to action

How Else can I track Legislation?

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Here are some resources for tracking legislation.

National Conference of State Legislatures

GovTrack

Education Week

National Education Association

JLM Advocacy: Providing education to inspiring members to action

Who’s Hungry?

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Did you know that nearly one in ten Minnesotans live in food insecure homes (Second Harvest, 2015)? That means every single member of the Junior League of Minneapolis (JLM) knows someone; whether it be a cousin, a neighbor, or a friend who lives with food insecurities. We know that hunger adversely affects our communities in many ways from an increased burden on our health care system to ill equipped work force. But how does hunger affect the education gap?
Personally, I could write and tell you all about hunger and the negative correlations in education, but the writer Steve Holt at Take Part wrote a wonderful article on the subject that provides insight into this issue and its impacts. To read the full article find the link below:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/09/11/going-back-school-hungry

Children’s Health Watch put together an easy to read fact sheet that provides a very straight forward view of the issue. This approach is appealing to me as it gives the reader the facts even if it’s unpleasant. To read the full report find the link below:

Click to access toohungrytolearn_report.pdf

The Junior League of Minneapolis (JLM) has focused their efforts on tackling the achievement gap in the Minneapolis area. So how are we doing it? One of our major programs is called Backpack Buddies. Founded in 2008, Backpack Buddies set out to reduce the effects of hunger by providing easy to prepare food to cover the needs of children residing in food insecure homes. Currently, the Backpack Buddies project sends out 800 backpacks per week across three different schools. That ends up being 15,000 pounds of food per month. The number are staggering. The even crazier thing is there is always more to be done.

To get more involved Junior League members can sign up for an unpacking/packing shift or donate to the Annual Fund. Community members can get involved by donating non-perishable food items to a local food shelf or signing up for a volunteer shift at Second Harvest or similar non-profits.

A day in the Life of a Between the Lines committee member

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“Frozen?  What’s that about?  Would a second-grade girl like the story?”  The innocuous question revealed a wealth of information about the woman standing before me.  For starters, she must be pretty isolated not to know about the highest grossing animated film of all time.  Second, she’s been outta the loop for quite a while: Disney introduced Anna and Elsa back in 2013.  The most important takeaway, however, is that she cares about whether or not a young girl would enjoy the story.

Over the next couple of hours, I record women as they read — everything from The Babysitters Club to Love You Forever — into a recording device.  Before starting, each woman opens with a personal message about how she misses and loves the recipient of the book: “enjoy the story, I miss you,” “hope to see you soon,” and “momma thinks of you every day.”
The last woman I record thanks me for spending a Saturday with her, and she praises the volunteers I’m working with, “it it’s so, so nice what the Between the Lines people do for Shakopee.”

Between the Lines is a volunteer-driven committee run by the Junior League of Minneapolis.  The mission of Between the Lines is to promote literacy and help incarcerated mothers//caretakers connect with their children.

Want behind the scenes information about the committee?  Four times a year, members bring books, tape recorders, and stationary to the Shakopee Correctional Facility.  The committee helps mothers do three things: 1) select an age appropriate book for their child 2) create a recording of the mother reading out loud, and 3) write a short note to their child.  A couple weeks later, at a ‘wrap party,’ Between the Lines members package and send the books, recordings, and personal letters to the children of participating mothers.

Between the Lines was established in 2010, and the organization has helped nearly 700* children connect with an incarcerated caregiver through reading.  To get involved or learn more about the committee, please contact beteweenthelines@jlminneapolis.org.

Post contributed by Jennifer Prod