Given that the Twin Cities is clearly swarming with we GLBT people and our allies, I find it hard to imagine that there are people with absolutely no reasonably close contact with anyone or anything gay. But just in case, I thought a guide for those ten straight people who live completely outside our world would be helpful.

Photo courtesy of Dancing Diva.

Happy Pride!

A message from the fine folks behind the Twin Cities Trans March:

The fourth annual Twin Cities Trans March will take to the streets of Minneapolis to celebrate the often-forgotten hirstory of transgender folks fighting oppression. GL(BT) Pride festivities are meant to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which were led by fierce low-income gender non-conforming people of color. In the spirit of Stonewall, we recognize that queer and trans liberation can only be achieved through the dismantling of all oppression which requires intersectional struggle and deep relationships of solidarity. We are part of creating a queer and trans liberation movement that truly reflects its origins and uncompromisingly works toward racial justice, disability rights, indigenous sovereignty, immigrant rights, class equity, gender freedom and sexual liberation.

The Trans March offers an alternative and a challenge to the watered-down, materialistic, corporate Pride festivities – which often reflect only the values and needs of a monotone white, gay/lesbian, upper-middle class movement for assimilation, settling for pseudo-inclusion instead of fighting for systemic change. The Trans March celebrates our whole lives and builds solidarity and community in the streets while creating non-normative safer public space.

Saturday, June 26, 2010, at 3:00 PM, folks will be gathering at Stevens Square Park (Stevens Ave South & 18th St East, Minneapolis) for the fourth annual Twin Cities Trans March. This year’s theme is The Many Aspects of Trans Health. All our communities are in dire need of access to multi-lingual, culturally-competent, respectful, equitable, basic health care in a range of contexts: in our neighborhoods, schools, prisons, hospitals, workplaces, and on the streets.

Trans folks need safe access to primary health care and sexual health resources that do not force us to deny our identities or incorrectly gender our anatomy. We need access to knowledgeable counselors and therapists, safe hormones and needles, self-determined body modifications, and comprehensive information, resources and prevention programs available in the language most accessible to us. We know the current lack of these fundamental rights have led to higher risk of cancer, and exposure to sexually-transmitted infections and HIV, especially for those of us who are most vulnerable due to the intersections of oppressive systems, such as trans folks in prison and homeless youth. We demand our communities are not forgotten, erased and killed by a reductionist system that uses transphobic paperwork and binary boxes to deny us the ability to identify ourselves and our needs.

Last year’s march brought together hundreds of trannies, genderqueers, gender non-conforming folks, butches, studs, femmes, and allies to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the infamous night that Queens of color resisted police brutality with rocks, bottles, and their fabulousness during a bar raid. The theme “Resist Police Brutality” remembered the lives of those wonderful folks who would not allow the State to target and harass the few trans and queer spaces. We also remembered those lives taken. The march, with its mobile stereo system, kept the beat pumping. One attendee said, “I love how upbeat and celebratory the march was. We really showed passer-bys how fierce and fabulous we are!”

We are committed to the following Points of Unity:

In memory of the Stonewall Riots and in the spirit of resistance, the Twin Cities Trans March Collective continues to work to create a space where all people have self-determination over their gender and body. The trans march is a space that affirms those whose experiences and expressions of gender may not conform to a binary. We strive to be truly intersectional and recognize that we have far to go. We march to create space for ourselves, to find each other and build relationships of struggle in the streets. We protest transphobia, trans misogyny, and trans exclusion, including within GL(BT) communities and Pride itself.

As a grassroots-organized community demonstration, the Twin Cities Trans March creates alternatives to Pride festivities whose commercialization draws attention away from struggles for liberation. We demand healthcare, jobs, and educational opportunities. We strive to dismantle capitalism, the prison industrial complex, and the interlocking systems of oppression. Our resistance to oppression under the present social structure is cause for celebration. We continue to struggle for collective liberation and imagine that another world is possible. We call on our allies to join this fight for the freedom to be ourselves.

We create our own space – in the streets. Join us! Bring signs, banners, noise-makers, dance moves, and friends. We ask folks to refrain from wearing scented products and from smoking. Bring your most fabulous outfits and glitter. We can never have too much glitter!

The Twin Cities Trans March Collective is a group of trans, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and allied folks inspired by radical organizing for collective liberation.

[myspace.com/tctransmarch]

The 15th Annual Rainbow Families Conference is April 10. This year’s keynote speaker is B.D. Wong. You need not actually be a parent or a prospective parent or even LGBT to get a lot out of this event. There’s plenty of programming; I’m particularly interested in the Social Justice track.

The Rainbow Families Conference is the premier community building and learning event for current and prospective LGBT parents and their children, family members and friends, area educators and community members.

This incredible conference is a special resource for Minnesota and surrounding states and is the largest of its kind in the nation. Participants enjoy a day of learning and sharing together and also leave with concrete skills and information relevant to their own lives and needs.

You can register online until April 5 and register in person on the day of the conference. They’re still looking for volunteers as well. Volunteers get free admission.

Brooklyn Park, MN – As the economy worsens and unemployment continues to climb, many African American and African immigrant families are feeling the pinch. But, help is on the way.

This is the motivation behind the African Career, Education & Resource (ACER) fair. The second annual event takes place on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the North View Junior High School from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The ACER fair attempts to mitigate the challenges new and historic minorities face in obtaining access to information and resources to improve their wellbeing. The fair provides a “one-stop” approach for members of the community to learn about a variety of resources and services in an efficient and culturally-appropriate manner. The ACER fair also offers an opportunity for both sides – institutions and minority communities – to share information, get feedback, network, and build stronger relationships.

At this family-friendly event, attendees will meet and engage with representatives from: several K-12 schools; colleges and universities; fortune 500 companies; health and social service organizations; and various other resources. The ACER fair is free and open to the public.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 13 percent of Minnesota’s foreign-born residents, approximately 200,000, are from Africa – a higher percentage than any other state. Yet, minorities experience a lower level of access to social services, educational, and employment resources than other groups due to cultural, linguistic, and racial barriers even though they strengthen Minnesota’s economy through tax payments, entrepreneurship, and consumption. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the jobless rate fell from 10.0 percent to 9.7 percent in January, but increased to 16.5 percent for blacks, nearly double the national average.

The ACER fair is a volunteer-driven initiative to serve the black community by providing a variety of culturally-relevant resources and services in a single location. Sponsors include Osseo Area Schools (ISD 279) and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

For more information, please visit ACER’s website: www.acerfair.org

Also see the ACER Fair on facebook.

Shades Of Yellow, the first Hmong organization for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) held its first fundraiser last week at Wilder Foundation, drawing more than a hundred supporters.

Oskar Ly, vice chair, welcomed guests and said SOY is excited to hold its first fundraiser and now has a full board of directors to help guide the organization outreach and work they do in the social justice area.

“This means a lot to us and we don’t take this for granted for a single day at all,” said Ly.

Congratulations to SOY on a successful fundraising event!

I recently chatted with District 202 Executive Director Curt Prins. He mentioned SOY as a group that District 202 is eager to work further with. I can’t stress (and probably don’t need to tell you) how important it is that groups like SOY exist. People find strength in connecting with others with whom they identify.

Coming up, SOY is celebrating the New Year and crowning Mr./Miss SOY 2010. Saturday, January 23, 2010 from 4-8pm and after party from 8-10pm at PROM CENTER in Oakdale/Woodbury, MN. Cash Bar available all night. Building’s capacity is 400, but there will only be 350 seats available so come early to reserve a seat.

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2009
Show starts 8:00pm (doorsopen 7:30pm)
Location: Macalester College Kagin Commons
1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105

http://www.macalester.edu/about/mapbynumber.html

Suggested Donation: $5-$10 (all proceeds will to go to the family of Fong Lee to assist with attorney’s fees)

Up In Arms: A Night of Hip Hop and Spoken Word to Honor Fong Lee and End Police Brutality seeks to raise awareness and support of Fong Lee’s case while also uniting and activating communities around the issue of police brutality.

In July 2006, un-armed Fong Lee was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in front of a north Minneapolis elementary school. Last May, an all-white federal jury exonerated officer Jason Anderson of using “excessive force” on the teenager who was shot eight times in the back. Allegations that a gun was planted near Lee’s body were ruled irrelevant to the case. (For more information about the trial: http://www.hmongtoday.com/page11504436.aspx)

The Lee family’s quest for truth does not end with the ruling given in May, and the family has continued the long path towards legal justice.

The evening will be emceed by Tou Ger Xiong and Amy Hang. DJ Nak will be on the one’s and two’s with performances by Magnetic North (from New York City), Nomi of Power Struggle (from the Bay Area), Michelle Myers of Yellow Rage (from Philadelphia), Maria Isa, Blackbird Elements, Guante, Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria, e.g. Bailey, Tou Saiko Lee with PosNoSys, True Mutiny, Shá Cage, Kevin Xiong with Pada Lor, Tish Jones, MaiPaCher, Logan Moua, Bobby Wilson, Poetic Assassins, Hilltribe, and special guests.

This event is sponsored by: Speak!, Lealtad-Suzuki Center, Asian Student Alliance, Ua Ke, DJ Club, History Department, Coalition for Community Relations, The Loft Literary Center, Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, Shades of Yellow, Take Action Minnesota, Communities United Against Police Brutality, and Minnesota Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign.

For more information please visit Coalition for Community Relations on Facebook or contact Tou Ger Xiong @ 651-738-0141or Jose Luís @ 612-986-0832.

Many things have been written on whether one should march or not march on October 11 in Washington, DC. Let me make it easy for you.

Are you really happy with the progress we have made over the last eight months with this Administration and Congress? Are you really happy with the progress we have made on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)? Do you think that the leaders of our political parties have embraced marriage equality and our God given rights, benefits and protections that come with it? Are you content, relaxed and happy with where we are at this moment in history in the struggle for freedom?

Think very carefully about the above questions. Then make plans to come to Washington, DC on October 11th to march with thousands of your brothers, sisters and straight allies for freedom.

I don’t want to be a hater, but I have my doubts about how effective this is going to be. Firstly, what does the march on Washington really do for any cause these days?

But my main beef is that, even with organized bus trips and whatnot, it’s kinda hard (i.e., expensive) to get to Washington, D.C., especially if you don’t live on the East Coast, and especially in the middle of a recession.

Do read the comments. Especially this one.

See also: Equality Across America’s official National Equality March page.

UPDATED: To view the archived liveblog above, simply click the Replay button. I suggest you do that before you read further.

My thanks to the Saint Paul Foundation, for having me there to cover the event and for championing the Facing Race initiative. I’ll cop to not having known much about what they were doing but it’s definitely something that I’ll be looking into more.

I got a consistent theme out of what I read in Peggy McIntosh’s two new essays, what she told me when we spoke, and what she said in her prepared remarks.

1. The concept of white privilege is not that complicated. You can explain the gist of it in one page with large font and some well-placed bullet points. It’s the fear that you have to work through and how you frame the discussion is critical in dealing with that fear.
2. This work has to be done on an individual level. Change is made on the individual level. This conversation will be different every time you have it, because everyone’s experience is different. And it’s a continuous process.

Perhaps the most striking thing that I heard her say is that at the societal level, the battle hasn’t changed. i.e., there hasn’t been that much progress. So keep fighting the good fight, kids!

And fer chrissake, read her essays if you haven’t already. The old one (pdf) is eye-opening and a must-read. The new ones are a great continuation. I have electronic and dead-tree copies. There are guidelines around distribution. Let me know if you’re interested and don’t want to bother to order your own (free) copies; I’ll see what I can do to connect you with one.

Peggy McIntosh is the author of White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (pdf), a groundbreaking essay which is perhaps best known for the list of 50 observations McIntosh made as described in the following paragraph:

I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I have chosen those conditions that I think in my case attach somewhat more to skin-color privilege than to class, religion, ethnic status, or geographic location, though of course all these other factors are intricately intertwined. As far as I can tell, my African American coworkers, friends, and acquaintances with whom I come into daily or frequent contact in this particular time, place and time of work cannot count on most of these conditions.

Peggy McIntosh has partnered with the Saint Paul Foundation to write two updates to that essay, “White Privilege: An Account to Spend” and “White People Facing Race: Uncovering the Myths that Keep Racism in Place” which you can get here.

The Facing Race Ambassador Celebration starts at 6:45pm (Central) at the Prom Center in Oakdale (directions). The liveblogging will start sometime shortly before that. Visit facingrace.org for more details about the event, to see the list of the 2009 award winners, and to RSVP.

Check back here tomorrow evening for the liveblog. You can read along and chat along as well. Follow @twofoundations and @cinnamn for tweets from and about the event, and follow the hashtag #facingrace.

I’ve got a few minutes with Dr. McIntosh as well. What would you ask her? Leave a comment here or tweet (reply to @cinnamn).

Steppin’ Out is an innovative, cross-cultural collaboration of three American styles of dance: Appalachian clogging, African American stepping and hip hop. It combines fierce rhythm and rhyme with rollicking live old-time string band music, rural with urban dance forms, and provides enough soul and smile to inspire all ages.

It’s put on by the DeLaSouljah Steppers with hip-hop artist RDM and the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers. For more details and pictures from last year’s show, check out www.wildgoosechasecloggers.org.

I already bought tickets for Sunday.

Friday, December 5th, 8pm
Saturday, December 6th, 5pm and 8pm (the evening show followed by a discussion with the cast)
Sunday, December 7th, 2pm

All performances are at the Southern Theater
1420 Washington Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN
612-340-1725
www.southerntheater.org

Buy your tickets online or by phone at 612.340.1725.

The Twin Cities Media Alliance is hosting a celebration of local ethnic and community media Friday, December 5 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Black Forest Inn’s banquet room, next door to the restaurant at 26th and Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis. It’s a chance to meet and network with local grassroots journalists and other local media folk, and sample the global flavors of Eat Street. There will be a brief program at 7 p.m. honoring the winners of the first Minnesota Community and Ethnic Media Awards, sponsored by TCMA and New America Media.

An assortment of appetizers from Eat Street restaurants and markets will be served, with wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages available.

A minimum donation of $15 is requested; donations for wine and beer will be collected separately.

Space is limited. To reserve tickets, please send a check payable to TCMA, 2600 E. Frankin #2, Minneapolis, MN. 55406. To pay by credit card, please register here.

For more information, please contact TCMA operations manager Emily Pearson Ryan at 612-436-9188, or by email: emily@tcdailyplanet.net.

You can RSVP on facebook, but you need to actually buy your ticket online. You can make the suggested donation of $15, or you can pony up $50 to make TCMA Benefactor Donation.

I’ll be there! Come say hi.

First, some basic information.

For ongoing information in the Join the Impact movement, go to jointheimpact.com. You can follow Join the Impact on Twitter: @jointheimpact. There’s additional (and I assume ongoing) information on organizing efforts at the Join the Impact wiki. This page was the hub for organizing Saturday’s protests. The wiki also has instructions on how to share your photos, videos, and stories. For more on local organizing efforts, you can also join the Impact Twin Cities – Marriage Equality Now! facebook group. The New York Times has a story on the nationwide protests with a mention of Minneapolis.

Originally uploaded by swirlspice.

Estimates of attendance at Saturday’s Minneapolis rally are varying wildly. I guessed there were about 1,000. That NYT article said “more than 1,000.” The Star Tribune said “more than 700.” One of the speakers said “a couple thousand” and that’s what they’ve posted on the facebook event page.

However many people were there, representatives from local activist and advocacy organizations, representatives of a couple lgbt-friendly religious organizations, and local politicians addressed the crowd. Nobody said anything new and different. It was chilly out (glad I wore my long underwear) and it didn’t help we were in the shadow of the government center. But the crowd was enthusiastic and the majority of those gathered took off marching towards Loring Park for “community-building” after the rally was over. I thought Minneapolis CouncilMember Gary Schiff gave the best speech. Focused, meaningful, relevant, and hopeful.

Originally uploaded by swirlspice.

I’ve not yet heard or seen anything on how the Saint Paul rally went.

I’d love to hear your take on yesterday’s events. Were you at the Minneapolis or the Saint Paul rally? What did you see? Leave a comment or, better yet, submit a post.

Minneapolis
Saturday, November 15, 2008
12:30pm – 2:30pm
Hennepin County Government Center
RSVP at the facebook event page, if you like. As of right now there are 1,077 confirmed guests.

Saint Paul
Saturday, November 15, 2008
3:00pm – 7:00pm
State Capitol Old Main Lawn
RSVP at the facebook event page, if you like. As of right now there are 119 confirmed guests.

The Arab-Muslim world is the most embattled region in the world and its peoples are the most scrutinized – even vilified – people on the planet. How do Arab films reflect this situation? How is cinematographic production affected by the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon? How do Arab filmmakers deal with the issues of immigration, gender equality, terrorism, political prisoners and other burning issues? Does cinema provide a refuge from the painful reality, or does it provide a safe ground to confront it? Mizna’s Twin Cities Fifth Arab Film Festival might not provide the answers for these questions, but it hopes to initiate the discussion.

Mizna’s Arab Film Festival was designed to meet two basic needs: to introduce authentic Arab and Muslim culture to the American public, and to offer the Arab-Muslim communities in the US a genuine forum where complex, even sensitive issues can be freely and safely discussed.

Lydia Howell previewed the festival for the TC Daily Planet.

Having grown up in Detroit, I had a fair amount of exposure to Arabic culture. But I was in grade school at the point in which I spent the most time in the company of Arabic people; proximity didn’t necessarily go a long way to understanding then. My mom’s reaction when I told her one of my friend’s had a life-sized portrait of Saddam Hussein in her living room was to grimace. She did show restraint and certainly never kept me from going over there. But I was not of an age where I was inspired to inquire further.

Art is always a wonderful mirror into a culture. That’s how we know what we know about ancient cultures that no longer exist. The statement of purpose above could be the same for any minority group. Don’t we all just want to be understood and feel free to discuss our issues?

I’m putting this one on the calendar for next year.

(via @ArtsOrbit)

I’ll be there, probably sans mask.

This weekend’s lineup includes: Pramila Vasudevan, kim thompson, Katie Ka Vang, and Tou Saiko Lee.

[complete details on the series and on this weekend's event]
[purchase tickets]

Beyond the Pure: Readings by Writers of Color
Thursday, October 9, 2008
7:00 PM at Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis
Admission by donation; wine & beer reception to follow

Curated by Julie Bates & Carolyn Holbrook; hosted by Carolyn Holbrook

Featuring:
IBé was born in Guinea, and grew up between Sierra Leone, Chicago, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities. Quite naturally, he lives in the Middle of the Atlantic…with a mailing address in Minneapolis, MN. Among others, he writes about the African Experience, both in Africa and in America. Bridge Across Atlantic, his first collection of poems, is a small dose of these stories.

BAO PHI has been a performance poet since 1991. A two-time Minnesota Grand Slam champion and a National Poetry Slam finalist, Bao Phi has appeared on HBO Presents Russell Simmons Def Poetry, and a poem of his appeared in the 2006 Best American Poetry anthology. He has performed in venues and schools across the country, from the Nuyorican Poets Café to the University of California, Berkeley. Currently he continues to perform across the country, remains active as an Asian American community organizer, and works at the Loft, where he creates and operates programs for artists and audiences of color.

SUN YUNG SHIN is a 2007 Bush Artist Fellow for Literature and author of the collection of poems Skirt Full of Black (Coffee House Press 2007); co-editor of Outsiders Within: Writings on Transracial Adoption; (South End Press 2006) and author of Cooper’s Lesson (Children’s Book Press 2004), a bilingual Korean/English illustrated book for children. She’s currently working on her second book of poems with the working title The Invisible Choir and a memoir of her immigration and naturalization. Her website is www.sunyungshin.com.

Funds for this activity are provided by the COMPAS Community Art Program through a grant from the McKnight Foundation. The Carol Connolly Reading Series is sponsored in part by The Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, DreamHaven Books, Patrick’s Cabaret, SF Minnesota, and the University Club of Saint Paul.

Intermedia Arts on: [web] [facebook]

Apparently there were “prizes, celebrity appearances and a Hollywood Fashion Show with
MN Vikings Darren Sharper and Adrian Peterson As our Special Guest Models!” I’m not sure what any of that has to do with watching films, but whatever.

Speaking of films, I would have actually liked to see Joanna Kohler’s I Approve This Message since it has local relevance. This is Joanna Kohler’s submission for The UnConvention’s “I Approve This Message” project.

What happens when filmmaker Joanna Kohler teams up with Christopher “Shakademic” Johnson to hit the streets and ask Minnesotans about Presidential Elections? Between Downtown Minneapolis, the collapsed 35W Bridge and The Green Way, politics get personal.

The Green Way? You mean the Midtown Greenway? *sigh* Enh, I’ll just watch it on YouTube instead. [part 1] [part 2]

Sadly, the schedule of events practically buries the screening information.

So maybe I won’t check it out next year, unless one of the films looks particularly compelling.

Part One – Monday, September 15, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
View Jamie Washington’s keynote address from the 11th Annual Rainbow Families Conference in 2006, and critically examine dominant/subordinate group issues in terms of our identities as we commence to challenge racism.

Part Two – Monday, October 6, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Join in a discussion of three short articles addressing issues of racism and white privilege, along with a brief training segment. Address how these issues impact our lives, our community, and Rainbow Families.

Part Three – Monday, November 3, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
A facilitated discussion on how to talk to kids about racism and white privilege.

Part Four – Monday, December 1, 2008, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
A final meeting to discuss how we can apply what we have learned to our own lives, to Rainbow Families, and to the LBGTQ community as a whole. This session is very applied and engaging, so feel free to bring example or scenarios that you would like to share regarding these issues.

RSVP: If you are interested in this FREE four part series, please contact Abby at abby@rainbowfamilies.org or 651-644-4848 x200 with your name, email address and/or phone number.

Location: Rainbow Families office, Griggs Midway Building, 1821 W University Avenue, #109, Saint Paul, MN 55104

Greetings Black Writers in Minnesota!

For more than 20 years, the Givens Foundation for African American Literature has been the only organization in the Twin Cities exclusively dedicated to advancing and celebrating black literature and writers. At the Givens Foundation, we understand that black writers are the future of African American literature. This is one reason that we are launching a pilot of the Givens Black Writers Collaborative Retreat in 2008, to promote the “writing life” to support the crafting of excellence in African American literature, and to provide opportunities for the creation of literary collaboration, community, and the sacred space within which art is born.

The Givens Foundation invites you to apply for the Givens Black Writers Collaborative Retreat. Some quick facts about the retreat are given below and application materials are attached.

Retreat Quick Facts
What: A retreat for emerging and established black writers who are at critical junctures in their artistic development, who desire an opportunity to “get away” to focus on the honing of their literary craft, and who seek to receive mentoring and peer support.
When: Nov. 6-9, 2008 (4 days, 3 nights)
Where: The Dwelling in the Woods, McGrath, MN (www.thedwellinginthewoods.org)
Who: 10 black writers living in Minnesota
Mentoring Writers: Sonia Sanchez (National) & Carolyn Holbrook (State)
Cost: Free (sponsored by the Jerome Foundation)

Retreat application materials and a summary of the results of our Survey of Black Writers in Minnesota conducted earlier this year will also be available via our website, www.givens.org, click on Programs.

Please note that completed applications must be received by October 8, 2008.
Email questions to Ellena Schoop: retreat@givens.org.

Please spread the word and forward this application information to interested black writers in Minnesota!

Blessings in Abundance,
Arleta Little & Ellena Schoop

Arleta Little
Executive Director
Givens Foundation for African American Literature
7151 York Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55435
Direct line: (612) 250-2426
Email: Little1givensfdn@aol.com
www.givens.org