Alright – so, Rep Carolyn Laine a DFLer from Columbia Heights introduced a bill this legislative session to strip the little authority & power that Minnesota Ethnic councils had. Let’s put this into perspective – Minnesota has some of the largest racial gap between Whites and Minorities and Rep Laine said too bad – so sad and nothing for us.
This is the norm for many MN DFLer’s once they get to the legislature – they take the minority vote for granted and silence our voices and our rights. Council on Black Minnesotans was created in 1980 by MN GOP to assure equal access in social, political, economic and resources for Black Minnesotans. Edward McDonald is a highly educated and extremely smart person and the director of the Council on Black Minnesotans. Edward has supported minority autism issues ever since he started this position and I for one am in his corner.
Edward and the council released a report that should’ve prompted a thorough investigation into the high racial disparity in Minnesota. Instead it prompted a legislation to silence him and fire him from his job. Well – Laine said he can re-apply for the job again. How nice of her. Except the hiring agency is not the council’s board, but the legislative coordinating commission. This commission has seven staff and zero is a person of color, yet they are in charge of hiring the directors for minority councils. This is like asking Rep Issa to hire for Planned Parenthood or asking Rep Barney Frank to hire for Freddie Mac. It is insane and absurd, not to mention stupid.
Rep Laine with the help of the only Black representative in Minn House, Rena Moran decided to make the duties of the ethnic councils from must to shall advice the governor, shall advice the legislature blah blah and BS. Shall and may basically mean “your advice will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes”. To make matters worse Rep Moran who is African American either did not comprehend the affect of this legislation or is simply a DFL butt kisser. Rather than speak for her constituents – Rep Moran chose to speak for MN DFLers whose districts have some of the worst racial gaps in Minnesota. How sad and frustrating to have one Black legislature in Minn House and she turns out to be a disappointment.
The Senate version was authored by Sen Pappas – her version did not pass committee. Pappas is usually all about bowing to Sen Bakk – you know the majority leader who speaks for everyone except Black and Brown Minnesotans and his whipped majority leader – Sen Hayden. Can we please defeat and vote out Hayden and Moran next year – seriously what is the point if they don’t speak for us. Where was Gov Dayton in all of this – he was too busy fighting to save the state auditor’s power. Yet, Black Minnesotans voted for him overwhelmingly. In other words, if Dayton was not on board with this – he would’ve threatened a line veto. We all know he likes his veto pen.
Where was NAACP & Mpls Urban League – sleeping as usual. When do they ever fight or advocate for policy changes at the Capitol.
In sum, if anyone ever wondered why Minnesota has some of the worst health disparity, highest education gap, highest unemployment for Blacks so on and so forth – wonder no more and vote out the following legislators who are responsible eliminating the only independent Black voice we had in Minnesota.
The ring leader Laine
- ; Moran
- ; Anderson, S.
- ; Mullery
- ; Mariani
- ; Runbeck
- ; Howe
- ; Cornish
- ; Ward
- ; Nash
- ; Pugh
- ; Fischer
They clearly take their minority votes for granted and could care less about any racial gap or disparity.
Above words do not represent any candidate, committee or agency
Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Minority Advocate