It’s Officially Our Favorite Month of the Year

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Buongiorno tutti,

I don’t know about you but it sure does feel good to (almost) be in Summer. It’s hot, it’s sunny, and all the fun seasonal activities are here. Now that classes are over and community work is at its peak, team members and I have conversed about how we’ll have a productive Summer 2023. Marcia and I will dive into our own personal little book club; Helene wants to expand her pottery skills; and Ebe seeks to explore new artistic horizons in the far corners of the midwest.

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The Making Vinyl Conference is coming to Minneapolis on June 7-8 to celebrate 75 years of LP (long play) format and Prince’s birthday – what a celebration! We can watch the records go round and round, but becoming familiar with the particular sounds of an LP is unique to the listener. It’s an intimate performance on its own; a sound you can’t find on other mediums. Personally, I grew up in the CD and headphones era. As I wandered through my home listening to Disney’s Greatest Hits, there was a special relationship with music; from taking the CD out of its case to placing it on the wheel and hitting play, or pulling CD’s out of my hamburger case to play my music in the car. Summer, in a sense, brings another kind of nostalgia and excitement from the future’s past. 

Today, I buy vinyl albums that are dearest to me to hear on hot summer afternoons. From B.B. King to Coltrane, or Aretha Franklin to the Doobie Brothers. There really is no specific collection rather than my own. A moment in time that holds a thousand and more plays. 

This month’s important moments that remind us to persist and resist are Pride, Immigrant Heritage, and Juneteenth. More to come from NewPrensa on these. In the meantime, listen to our lovely collaborative team playlist ‘NewMusica’ for NewTaste and NewVibes. 

-Isabella

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Hello! Helene here. It’s June now, which means welcoming in Pride Month with wide open arms. I know there’s hesitancy in the queer community about interacting with and participating in the large annual Twin Cities Pride events, mainly because of their corporate sponsors and the police presence, two things that many queer people feel don’t belong at pride events. Pride does mean something different for everyone, so there’s no harm in attending this festival and all of its various celebrations! It’s just important (like with everything else) to create other spaces to prioritize all peoples’ interests. Which brings me to The People’s Pride! This is a police-free, corporate-free space for queer people, by queer people! The festival is the same weekend as the Twin Cities Pride festival, or the 24th and 25th of June. From the People’s Pride vision statement, their festival is simply “an alternative and additional event” to Twin Cities Pride. I don’t know about you all, but I think it’s a good sign of a healthy community to have events to choose from. 

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Now, in other big local news, recreational marijuana use has been legalized in Minnesota! It’s not quite as simple as one signature, though, and it’ll still be a few months before public consumption is legal. The implementation of the bill will also happen in waves, starting August 1st with decriminalizing marijuana and permitting home growing, and allowing sales of marijuana in shops months down the road. Governor Walz said on Tuesday, 

“We’ve known for too long that prohibiting the use of cannabis hasn’t worked. By legalizing adult-use cannabis, we’re expanding our economy, creating jobs, and regulating the industry to keep Minnesotans safe. Legalizing adult-use cannabis and expunging or resentencing cannabis convictions will strengthen communities. This is the right move for Minnesota.”

– Gov. Tim Walz

Minnesotans who wish to use cannabis legally must be 21 years of age or older, and there are limitations to where it can be consumed. It isn’t legal to consume marijuana on public school grounds or behind the wheel of a car or boat. 

One of the reasons that stores won’t yet be able to sell marijuana legally comes down to the need to ensure enough supply to meet the anticipated demand. Being unprepared for consumer demand could drive up prices and foster consumption from an unlicensed market. There’s undoubtedly lots of hiccups still left in the process towards legalization, but for now, it’s a great step forward for Minnesota. We’ll be in touch with related updates, so keep your eye out! 

That’s it for us this Thursday. Thanks for spending some of your time with us! 

-Isabella and Helene

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