More Than a Single Story began in 2016 when Carolyn Holbrook used a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant to launch a series of three discussions with women writers of the African diaspora aimed at showing there are different cultures represented by women who could not be simply defined as “Black” writers. Holbrook had worked at the Loft Literary Center, founded SASE: The Write Place to help writers of color, and taught at Hamline University. But she wasn’t sure how More Than a Single Story would go over. She needn’t have worried. So many people attended the first program they filled the Loft’s auditorium and extra chairs had to be found.

Suleiman Adan (Courtesy of More than a Single Story)

Since then MTSS has gained a five-person staff, with Holbrook as executive director, and expanded to include a variety of free panel discussions/public conversations where writers of color discuss issues of importance to them in their own voices and words. In 2021 the organization published “We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World,” edited by Holbrook and poet David Mura (University of Minnesota Press). The 34 essays in the book, focusing on race and police violence after George Floyd’s murder, are by Twin Cities-based BiPOC writers, most of whom participated in MTSS programs.

The theme for this Father’s Day month is Songs for Our Fathers, panel discussions celebrating fatherhood. The next program is at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at Highland Park library, 1974 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul, with the theme of The Invisible Load: The Unsung Realities of Modern Fatherhood with moderator Suleiman Adan, writer, poet, and writing teacher whose work is in “We are Meant to Rise.” He is a systems builder and community advocate with more than a decade of experience empowering teams and building capacity through grassroots training and organizing efforts. An advocate of youth education, he has operated a free tutoring company focused on increasing literacy and proficiency in BIPOC youth. Panelists will be Erik Anderson, Jonathan Brown, Linus Chan, Chris Martin and Michael Torres. Although they come from different backgrounds, they are united in navigating the complexities of fatherhood in today’s world.

The final program, For the Love of Our Grandfathers, will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Highland Park library, co-moderated by Adan and Ben Weaver, father, caregiver, songwriter, poet and hide tanner who travels by bicycle. They will be joined by grandfathers Russel Balenger, David Mura and Jim Rock discussing how historical practices and events affected them as fathers, what it is like to see their own children as parents, how they connect with their grandchildren and advice they have for today’s young fathers. (RSVP to wendyw@thefriends.org.)

Ben Weaver (Courtesy of Nicollazzi)

“I love the way things happen sometimes,” Holbrook wrote to the Pioneer Press. “Last year Ben Weaver, a young single father, asked me if More Than a Single Story would consider doing something around single dads. A couple weeks later, Suleiman Adan, a young married father, asked if we’d consider doing something with married dads. Then I decided to include something with grandfathers. So we ended up with a series of three panels (one has already been held) we’re doing in partnership with The Friends (of the St. Paul Public Library). I’m so excited about this.”

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Minnesota United’s two hottest players — Tani Oluwaseyi and Robin Lod — produced goals Saturday, but it was the little preceding plays before that were the differences in a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City at Allianz Field.

Sang Bin Jeong’s pressing action caused a Kansas City turnover before Oluwaseyi’s goal in the first half, and Devin Padelford’s long throw-in preceded Oluwaseyi’s assist on Lod’s goal in the second half.

Padelford’s toss was noticed. Dayne St. Clair ran from his goal to praise the left wingback. Head coach Eric Ramsay also showed appreciation.

MNUFC (8-3-4, 28 points) got back in the win column after dropping points in its past two matches and moved into a tie for second place in Western Conference. They kept last-place Kansas City (2-9-5, 11 points) down. Sporting has now lost seven straight and is winless in 10.

Kervin Arriaga also did important little work, but he did so to set up his goal in the 83rd minute. His sprinting in an overlapping run put him in a great spot to blast a shot in the side netting.

Oluwaseyi’s seventh goal of the season padded his team lead. Bongi Hlongwane, who fed Oluwaseyu a nice cross, notched his first assist of the season.

The Loons produced three shots on goal in the first half. Kansas City didn’t manage one in the opening 45 minutes.

Johnny Russell got a goal back for Kansas City in the 86th minute.

Briefly

The U.S. women’s national team will play South Korea in a friendly match at Allianz Field on Tuesday night. The USWNT beat South Korea 4-0 on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. New head coach Emma Hayes won her debut match. Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson each scored two goals. … Caden Clark was scratched from the starting XI less than an hour before kickoff due to a toe injury. He was slated to make another appearance as a right wingback. DJ Taylor, who stepped in for Clark, had to exit with a leg injury in the first half. Joseph Rosales came off the bench.  … MNUFC will have eight players head to national team duties next week, including Dayne St. Clair, Robin Lod, Teemu Pukki,  Joseph Rosales, Kervin Arriaga, Carlos Harvey, Alejandro Bran and Zarek Valentin. They will all miss next Saturday’s match versus FC Dallas. … Rosales was issued his fifth yellow card in the second half. He will be suspended for Saturday’s game vs. FC Dallas.

DULUTH, Minn. — Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party leaders and endorsed candidates largely voiced the same script at their state convention Saturday, promoting DFL legislative action in Minnesota, singing the praises of President Joe Biden and condemning former President Donald Trump.

However, a vocal minority of progressive delegates have taken issue with the DFL and Democrats in general over the party’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza.

“We want to know why we have any money for bombs when there’s Minnesotans going hungry, sleeping out on the streets and lacking adequate health care,” said Jerod Martinson, a DFL delegate.

Martinson was seen outside the DFL convention holding a sign that read “Guilty of Gendemocide,” — the word mixes genocide and Democrat. Martinson and other protesters believe Democrats are aiding in the deaths of Palestinians.

“The war in Gaza is just the latest and one of the worst examples of our over-militarism and it’s just destroying us,” he said, adding that he is an Army veteran who served in Iraq during the war’s early years.

Protest over Gaza

Several dozen protesters joined party delegates outside of the Duluth Convention Center on Saturday.

They called for a cease-fire and the U.S. divestment from Israel due to the country’s failure to adhere to international norms in warfare.

One of the resolutions, which would make it party policy to call the denial of Israel’s right to exist as a country antisemitic, was met with resistance from seven Jewish delegates.

The delegates, in a statement, said the resolution ignores Jewish disagreement with Zionism, which calls to sustain a “Jewish state” within the historical lands of Palestine.

“On a personal note, as Jewish dissenters of Zionism we would find it quite distressing to have our own political party declare us to be anti-Semitic,” the delegates wrote.

Other resolutions Saturday related to Israel and Palestine included calls for a cease-fire and humanitarian aid, making civilian safety a priority, releasing political prisoners and funding U.N. efforts to aid Palestinian refugees.

Divide may hurt Democrats

This divide could prove challenging for Biden and Democrats as progressive members take on the party establishment.

A national movement to vote uncommitted during Democratic state primaries for president had a decently strong showing in Minnesota with about 19% of voters choosing “uncommitted.” The latest polls show both Trump and Biden in a dead heat.

“We need to be more assertive on our viewpoints on Gaza and what is happening there,” said DFL delegate Wayne Pulford, citing the destruction of Palestinian hospitals and schools and the number of lives lost.

“I think we just need to keep up pressure on the Democratic Party to push back on what’s happening,” Pulford said. “(Israel) can fight a just war. They’re just not doing it right now.”

Delegates were slated to debate 113 resolutions and their amendments on Saturday but as of 8 p.m., they had yet to start debate on most of them. Delegates will continue the debates into Saturday night or may pick up the issues on Sunday, the last day of the convention.

Campaign continues

Also Saturday, DFL leaders and politicians continued to boast about the party’s successes in Minnesota while condemning the MAGA movement.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman (Courtesty photo)

Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman touted the party’s legislative victories. The DFL currently has a trifecta in state government, controlling the governor’s office and both legislative chambers. The party has passed several large bills, including paid family leave and a program to provide free food to schoolchildren.

Other legislative wins for the party include measures on abortion rights, guns control, increased education funding and health care reform.

“We did not come to play,” Hortman said Saturday.

Trump’s recent conviction has also given Democrats a talking point for this election season. The former president was recently convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a woman before the 2016 election.

Most of the speakers Saturday morning, which included Gov. Tim Walz, either called Trump a felon or brought up his legal woes. Walz, serving as a hypeman for the party, told delegates that he was proud to be part of a party with diverse beliefs.

Gov. Tim Walz. (Ben Hovland / MPR News)

Jen Schultz, the DFL-endorsed candidate for Congressional District 8 covering northeastern Minnesota, also targeted her opponent, Republican Rep. Pete Stauber, on Saturday.

Schultz, who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2015 to 2022, drew contrasts between her and Stauber.

“Stauber is part of the extremists, chaos caucus,“ she said.

Mining issues

As expected, the issue of copper-sulfide mining drew both advocates for the practice and those who oppose it, which often pitted DFL union members and the party’s environmental wing at odds.

The debate revolved around the “Prove it First” legislation, which has failed to be heard in the state’s Legislature for about a decade. The bill would require mining companies to prove their mining plans are safe and in line with state and federal environmental protections.

“It pains me to see the issue of mining in Minnesota continue to divide the party,” delegate Jeremy Johnson said to convention goers, adding mining brings thousands of jobs to Minnesota.

Several of those opposed to the legislation told their fellow delegates that mining has already proven to be safe and the law would outsource jobs to foreign countries that rely on child labor.

The issue could split off votes from the DFL, especially with the St. Louis County GOP attempting to make inroads with union members in the Iron Range. Historically, union members have tended to vote for Democrats, though northeastern Minnesota voting trends show a change of wind in decades-old party loyalties.

“Now is a time for the DFL to take common-sense action to protect our clean water from foreign mining conglomerates that threaten to poison our clean water with copper-nickel sulfide mines,” delegate Chris Knopf said.

Knopf is also the executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, an environmental group that seeks stronger protections for Minnesota’s ecosystem.

Delegate Jean Baldwin, a union journeyman, had some of the harshest words Saturday for “Prove It First” supporters.

“If you vote for ‘Prove It First,’ you’re selfish,” she said. “You’re selfish because your vote means all mining that Minnesota needs and will do with the highest level of safe mining practices with skilled labor will be done in another country using child labor with little to no safe mining practices.”

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At least one South St. Paul police officer unintentionally discharged a service weapon after a man brandished and pointed a gun at officers on Friday night, police said.

Nobody was hurt in the incident.

About 10:15 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a garage in the 200 block of Grand Avenue West on reports of a disturbance, according to a news release from the South St. Paul Police Department. When officers arrived, the man pointed a gun at them and at least one officer unintentionally fired at the man.

The suspect, 54, was taken into custody and is being held on suspicion of second-degree assault at the Dakota County Jail.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident.

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