Dr. King’s Housing Justice Journey
Dr. King’s Housing Justice Journey
We are inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work for housing justice, a crucial part of the broader struggle for racial justice in the U.S.. Dr. King spoke out against the “dilapidated, inadequate housing” in African American communities when he moved to the Midwest to organize the Chicago Freedom Movement. He led a powerful multiracial coalition of Black, Latino, Polish, and Jewish renters who laid the foundation for passing the Fair Housing Act, a victory he referred to as “the first step in a 1,000-mile journey.’’
El camino hacia una vivienda digna
El camino hacia una vivienda digna
Nos inspira el trabajo de Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. en la lucha por una vivienda digna, una parte esencial del movimiento por la justicia racial en los estados unidos. Al mudarse al Midwest para organizar el Chicago Freedom Movement, Dr. King denunció las condiciones “ruinosas e inadecuadas” en las comunidades Afro-americanas. Dirigió una coalición multiracial de inquilinos Negros, Latinos, Polacos, y Judíos que construyeron una base para luego pasar la ley de Vivienda Justa (Fair Housing Act). Fue una victoria que él nombraba “el primer paso en un camino de 1,000 millas.”
Stay safe this weekend
A message to our neighbors about staying safe this weekend:
We want to share an update from local public officials about potential high-risk events happening January 16th and 17th in Saint Paul. Two events are being planned by “Hold The Line MN,” an extremist group that organized a “Storm the Capitol” event last week and harassed our local representative Carlos Mariani in his home. For a full statement from WSCO on recent white supremacist threats to our democracy click here.
El pueblo respalda al pueblo
A nuestros vecinos, vecinas, y vecinxs del West Side:
Cuando hay amenazas hacia nuestras comunidades, no podemos guardar silencio. Hace una semana, hubo un ataque de grupos de supremacistas blancos en el capitolio de Washington, D.C. Aquí en el West Side, pocos días antes, el hogar de nuestro representante Carlos Mariani estaba rodeado de un grupo grande de personas blancas, armadas, con banderas de Trump * (como vean en la foto). Estos grupos de odio siguen agrediendo a comunidades de color, mientras la policia no nos defiende a todos por igual. ** Pero tenemos un mensaje claro y firme para nuestros vecinos: el pueblo respalda al pueblo.
We've Got Each Other
To our neighbors on the West Side,
When our communities are threatened, we can’t remain silent. It has been a week since the attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C. by white nationalist mobs and militias. Days before, right here on the West Side, Representative Carlos Mariani’s home was surrounded by a large group of armed white people with Trump flags (pictured here).* As hate-fueled groups continue to target communities of color, and as law enforcement fails to serve and protect all of us equally,** we have a message for our neighbors: we’ve got each other.
We've got each other: 2020 annual meeting recap
Last week, more than 100 West Side neighbors attended our first-ever virtual annual meeting! Together, we celebrated 2020 accomplishments, envisioned a just and joyful West Side, and looked ahead to what we’ll accomplish in 2021 and beyond. We're so excited and grateful that we've got each other. Watch the annual meeting on YouTube.
Also, check out this one-pager summarizing what we accomplished together this year and what we're looking forward to in the years to come!
Honoring outstanding West Siders
This year, we received so many nominations for West Sider of the Year, that we decided to celebrate outstanding West Siders with not one award – but three! Learn more about these outstanding West Siders and watch videos of them receiving their awards! Here are the folks we're honoring this year!
- 2020 Spark of the West Side: Payton Ortiz & his Grandfather Dan Wolff, and Mother Anna Wolff
- 2020 Heart of the West Side: Jesus Ramirez
- 2020 West Sider of the Year: Maria McNamara
Meet our newly elected (or re-elected) board members!
At the meeting, West Siders voted for the WSCO board members who will start terms in 2021. The results are in! You and your neighbors
- re-elected Kim Moua;
- elected Teresa Zaffiro and Mario Páez; and
- selected alternates Sebastian Ellefson and Marcus Troy.
Read more about the newly-elected board members on WSCO’s blog!
Meet the members of WSCO’s Equitable Development Scorecard Team!
This spring, we were going to host a party to celebrate the members of our Equitable Development Scorecard Team – but we missed our opportunity as we readjusted to life in a pandemic. Thankfully, we got to introduce this team to West Siders during our annual meeting!
The Equitable Development Scorecard is a tool developed by West Siders, for West Siders to decide whether we, the community, support development projects and other investments proposed for our neighborhood. While all West Siders can use the Scorecard, the Equitable Development Scorecard Team leads efforts to open conversation with developers, score proposed projects and engage with their neighbors for feedback and discussion. Read more about the members of our current Scorecard team!
Gratitude
A huge thank-you to Captain Ken’s Food for their chili donation! It’s been a decades-long tradition to eat chili at WSCO annual meetings, and we’re grateful that Captain Ken made sure a pandemic didn’t get in the way of that! We’re also incredibly grateful to vocalist Jamela Pettiford for sharing a powerful land acknowledgement to set the tone for our meeting.
We can't wait to get to know you better!
For those of you who are new to WSCO, welcome! For those of you who are not, welcome back! We’re looking forward to getting to know everyone a little better in 2021. We’ll keep you informed of opportunities to get involved via our newsletter (sign up here) and on social media (follow us on Facebook and Twitter). Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@wsco.org with questions or feedback. We want to hear from you!
Here are three ways you can get involved right now!
- Fill out this commitment form to tell us a little more about yourself and how you’d like to get involved on the West Side.
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Register for our next West Side Voices Forum on Tuesday, December 8. The West Side Voices Forum is WSCO’s monthly meeting. We get together to discuss important things happening in our neighborhood and organize within our five Action Circles:
- Land Use: ensuring new development benefits West Siders
- Community Care: investing in life-affirming public safety
- West Side 100: organizing for 100% voter turnout and staying engaged to hold elected leaders accountable
- Health and Environmental Justice: fighting for systems that ensure access to healthy natural spaces, good food, and clean air and water
- Housing Justice: demanding safe, quality, affordable housing for all West Siders
- Donate to WSCO. Invest in us so that, together, we can continue building power for a just and joyful West Side!
Honoring outstanding West Siders: Meet our 2020 award recipients
Each year, WSCO honors a West Side resident for their outstanding contributions to the community. This year, WSCO received so many nominations that we decided to honor three West Siders who have shown deep dedication to the values of the West Side.
Recipients have:
- worked with other residents on behalf of the West Side
- regularly volunteered on the West Side or to the benefit of West Side residents
- provided significant leadership on a major issue or activity during the past year (or, over a series of years)
- made valuable contributions to the West Side
2020 Spark of the West Side
Payton Ortiz and his grandfather, Dan Wolff, and mother, Anna Wolff
Payton, his grandfather, and his mother sparked joy during a difficult time in the community by planting over 1,400 spinning pinwheels throughout their neighborhood. This random act of joy and love gave hope to neighbors struggling through isolation, stress, and sadness during the pandemic.
2020 Heart of the West Side
Jesus Ramirez
Jesus shares his love for the cultures, languages, and history of the West Side through art – from murals and electrical boxes to the tattoo shop. He is there for West Side neighbors when they need a helping hand, fixing cars, offering rides, and running errands. This year, he spent countless hours creating a larger-than-life art installation (a calavera) and a community altar to ensure annual community celebrations were special despite COVID-19.
2020 West Sider of the Year
Maria McNamara
In over two decades on the West Side, Maria has spent countless in service to the West Side. She played a key role in several organizations that brought fun, joy, and love to West Side youth. She’s a steadfast advocate for racial justice and helped start the Overcoming Racism conference from the basement of her church, Cherokee Park United. West Siders can count on her anytime to march in solidarity for justice, show up at City Hall and make some noise, or silently hold up a sign.
Free COVID-19 saliva testing in St. Paul starting October 30
On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health will open a free COVID-19 saliva testing location in St. Paul, the first saliva testing location to open in the Twin Cities. Below are excerpts from a Minnesota Health Department press release providing more information. Learn more about COVID-19 saliva testing in Minnesota.
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Testing is free to all Minnesotans who believe they need a COVID-19 test, including those who are asymptomatic. Participants will be asked for their health insurance information so the state can bill their insurance company on their behalf. If a person is uninsured or for any reason insurance doesn’t cover some or all of the cost, the state will cover the difference so testing remains completely free to everyone.
The saliva test is a PCR test, just like the traditional nasal swab, with the same effectiveness rate; however, it is more comfortable to take. Those who come for a test should avoid eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking anything for at least 30 minutes before providing a sample. Once they arrive at the site, they will self-administer the test by spitting into a funnel attached to a small tube. Clinic staff will be available on-site to monitor the collection process.
The state opened the first saliva testing site in Duluth on Sept. 23. Since then, saliva testing locations have opened in Winona, Moorhead, Brooklyn Park, Mankato, and St. Cloud; state officials plan to open at least three more in the Twin Cities metro area in coming weeks. Those tests will be processed right here in Minnesota, at the new saliva lab in Oakdale. Results will be provided via email within 24-48 hours.
Testing will be located in the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, part of the Saint Paul RiverCentre complex at 175 Kellogg Blvd. Limited free parking will be available on the roof of the Saint Paul RiverCentre ramp. Metered parking is also available in Rice Park. To access the entrance to the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, people are encouraged to take the skyway from the RiverCentre Parking Ramp, enter the doors by the RiverCentre marquee sign on Kellogg Boulevard, or enter at the Rice Park entrance located on Washington Street, and follow directional signage.
St. Paul COVID-19 saliva testing site: Roy Wilkins Auditorium, next to Saint Paul RiverCentre
175 W Kellogg Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55102
COVID-19 Testing Parking & Entrance Map (PDF)
Free parking is available on the roof of the RiverCentre ramp. If that is full, metered parking is available in Rice Park.
Entrances:
- Skyway from the RiverCentre Parking Ramp, follow signs
- Doors by the main RiverCentre sign at 175 W Kellogg Blvd, follow signs
- Rice Park entrance on Washington Street near Herb Brooks statue, follow signs
Monday - Friday: 12 - 7 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Schedule Appointment with Vault Health