June 7th, 2009 by Nieeta

Majora Carter, the MacArthur Genius Award recipient, founder of Sustainable South Bronx and president of the Marjora Carter Consulting Group that focuses on “green collar” jobs, believes the way we do business is simply not sustainable. In her round of public appearances and speeches, Carter, the keynote speaker at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Forum at St. Olaf College, made a vital assessment that we can restore the economy and alleviate poverty with the same thing, the environment.

As Carter stands at the wooden dais on a tall and extended stage in the St. Olaf College auditorium, she spreads her arms wide with a warm smile, a sort of embrace to the largely white audience in a small Midwest town and states, “Green is the new Black!” She quickly follows with, “What do I mean by this? Regardless of how poor you are, or what color, you have an inherent beauty and you should be able to look outside and see that too.”

Environmental Justice Advocate Majora Carter

We must, she said, invest in the people we’ve given up, thrown away and literally dumped on.  This echoes what Nieeta Presley of the Aurora/St. Anthony NDC argues about the Central Corridor: “This project should be based on neighborhoods instead of the metropolitan or statewide governments.”  Creating projects based on communities, neighborhoods and the people is the alternative strategy that Carter focuses on to move from a polluting economy to a people-based economy.  It is what Carter refers to as “Greening the Ghetto.”

Environmental justice is an increasingly important element of policy-making in transportation. As the Central Corridor LRT approaches and “green branding” increases, it is imperative that social, economic, and environmental goals not be separated, but approached holistically by asking the right questions and stipulating the importance of exploring race and class as inextricably linked to the entire health of the community.

— By Ashanti Austin

April 8th, 2009 by admin

Ashanti

Minnesota doesn’t get a lot of visitors from Los Angeles. Although California and Minnesota are both border states, the comparisons stop there. Our subzero temperatures, long winters and flannel shirts put a crimp in the Hollywood Style. But Ashanti Austin doesn’t care. She likes it here — and get this: She’s from L.A.!
After teaching in Oakland for three years, Ashanti decided to hop on a plane and check out the Twin Cities. She hasn’t looked back since, immersing herself in all manner of things Minnesotan, and loving it.  “I ended up staying, even after I was frostbitten,” she says.
Not long after her first brush with a Minnesota winter, Ashanti got involved with the Sibley Bike Depot Cooperative in St. Paul. She learned how to work on bikes and was asked to join the board of directors, a position she still holds.
She loves music and its role in her life. “I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s where my relationship to music became a way of life. I learned to think critically, ask questions, dance and write through music culture,” Ashanti explains. Hip hop is her genre of choice, “but I don’t mean mainstream radio station play,” she emphasizes.
There no doubt of her sincerity — if you ever get the chance to see her dancing in her red stiletto boots, you’ll know what I mean.
It’s a long road from L.A. to St. Paul, but Ashanti walks it with grace. Her new role as a community reporter and journalist is well suited to her inquisitive, thoughtful and optimistic mind.
Look for her articles in upcoming issues!

— By Jake Kulju