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Solution Paper #32a, January 1, 2009: Repeating the New Year's Resolution from 2004 and still relevant today in 2009, for the coming Age of Obama:   End the gaps caused by racism, injustice and dream deferral.
By Ron Edwards and Peter Jessen

From 2004:   The archbishop of the Twin Cities agrees with this in his recent Pastoral Letter on racism, in which he says in order to end the "sin of racism," we need to keep talking with each other about it, then convert that talk into action all the while helping society live by the Golden Rule. We agree whole heartily. Indeed, we emphasize the use of The Golden Rule in Chapter 5 of The Minneapolis Story. As people have asked "how?" we have provided two pieces in the "Occasional Papers" section on our web site, www.TheMinneapolisStory.Com: The Minneapolis Table Building Blocks, to use in discussions for implementing The Seven Solutions Vision, and if we do so, we can renew Minneapolis.

GAPS: Seven areas of education, jobs, housing, public safety, safe environment, governing, ethics. Education (Chapter 7): huge gap in performance between Blacks and Whites in reading/writing/math.

Jobs (Chapter 9): City in non-compliance with Federal and city construction contract system.

Housing (Chapter 8): Hollman as example of razing Black housing to then raise White housing.

Public Safety (Chapter 16, Blog #214): Accepting unrest and disturbance as the acceptable price of maintaining the status quo and using police to keep Blacks in their place.

Safe Environment (Chapters 1, 5, 8): Gap in quality of air/water/soil of Black and White communities.

Governing (Chapter 3, 10, 11-13, Blogs #218 and 227): By courts and councils and boards (gerrymandered redistricting, DFL 1 party rule, city unions, non-profits).

Ethical Leadership of Hope (Chapter 2, 4-6, 14-15, 17, Conclusion): Equal access and opportunity for all with all at the mainstream table, "here, there and everywhere" with racism, bigotry, segregation & discrimination "not here, not there, not anywhere," using the Golden Rule, Common YESes & NOs.

The Story of America's Inner Cities As Told by the Example of Minneapolis, MN, as Yesterday's Questions Haunt Tomorrow's Answers: High Hopes or Hopeless Helplessness? Dream Fulfillment or Dream Deferment? by Ron Edwards with Peter Jessen

Visit www.TheMinneapolisStory.com , with its on-going continuation of the Minneapolis Story, bi-weekly columns, daily web log, and occasional papers.

Read black newspapers to get a sense of how the city still follows "legal" and "moral" policies that are corrupted by racist principles (Read: Appenda), which is why white newspapers can't always be trusted, which is why we also need to have in our communities black newspapers (Read: Why American Cities Need Black Newspapers ).

Read The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder , which carries the bi-weekly column and provides the wider canvas recording and reporting the black experience as it unfolds in Minneapolis.

Posted December 31, 2008


Ron hosts “Black Focus” on Channel 17, MTN-TV, Sundays, 5-6 pm. Formerly head of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission and the Urban League, he continues his “watchdog” role for Minneapolis. Order his book, hear his voice, read his solution papers, and read his between columns “web log” at www.TheMinneapolisStory.com.

Permission is granted to reproduce The Minneapolis Story columns, blog entires and solution papers. Please cite the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and www.TheMinneapolisStory.com for the columns. Please cite www.TheMinneapolisStory.com for blog entries and solution papers.

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