Revisiting the women that made state-senate history

Good morning, NewPrensa readers! Helene here. Are you staying warm these days? I certainly hope so. As the holidays are getting nearer, I’m looking forward to all of the great things that make Minnesota extra special for me, like the British Arrow Awards! Have you heard of them? They’re a screening of Britain’s best advertisements from the previous year. Take 2021, for example: there’s this Nike ad, or this ad for Green and Black’s chocolate. The advertisements come in all different flavors of feelings and messages, and they’re always great.

We’re lucky enough to have the British Arrows screened each year at the Walker Art Center in December, an event that has become somewhat of a tradition in my household. You can get tickets here. Let us know what you think, if you have the chance to go. We always love to hear from you!

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I had the chance this week to read a wonderful MPR piece celebrating the first three Black women (all DFL candidates) elected to the state senate earlier this month. The three women are Zaynab Mohamed, 25, Erin Maye Quade, 36, and Clare Oumou Verbeten, 27. All three talked about the excitement they felt when they found out they won and the absence of Black female presence in the state senate. Their responses to being asked about their age struck me especially, and I think Mohamed, the youngest women to be elected to the state’s senate, said it perfectly:

“I cannot tell you how many people told me I was too young to be doing this. They would say, “Are you ready? What do you even know? What does your resume look like?” And often it is people who’ve never lived outside this country or never been through war or whose family never had to immigrate here and help their family. It’s an unspoken rule that you need to wait your turn and that’s just not true.”

Young, diverse people make up the present and future of Minnesota. It’s very exciting. That’s all from me this week! 

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Hi, Isabella here! Argentina won 2-0 against Mexico in a World Cup match on Saturday, Nov. 26. I went to DelSur Empanadas to eat and watch the game with my family and fellow Argentinians at their Minnetonka, MN, location. They had lost their previous game against Saudi Arabia, but made a comeback with a goal from Leo Messi at minute 64’ and Enzo Fernandez at minute 88’. Argentinians dressed in their team’s soccer shirts, light blue and white striped hats and scarfs. Co-owner Nicolas Nikolov cheered the restaurant chanting while one of the kids blew the bugle. Mexico fans were also present celebrating their team’s defense. I had the opportunity to delight myself with some sweet beef and ham and cheese empanadas, together with a Lomito-Steak sandwich – these are a must have!

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The Same-Sex Marriage Bill passed the Senate with a 61-to-46 vote. The bill “provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages” as a federal law. This means that all states would have to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.” It would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which states that “no State, territory, or possession of the United States or Indian tribe shall be required to give effect to any marriage between persons of the same sex.”

Why is this important?  This is advancing the rights of same-sex and interracial couples. Once Roe v. Wade was overturned in the summer of 2022, “allowing many states to outlaw abortion”, the court began to discuss ways to protect marriage equality and contraception access. In NewPrensa’s 212 Issue, Maria and Helene discussed the Respect for Marriage Act. There still continues to be a fear of overturning several laws that protect the rights that many have fought to preserve. While the majority lives peacefully, with their rights unaffected, a great proportion of the U.S. population sees their lives affected by the vast changes in congress. It’s not only about the recognition of any type of marriage. But, also, the consciousness that we must communicate to the rest of the American society to understand what oppressive laws mean for those who suffer their consequences. We should all be entitled to love who we love. More importantly, this right should be peaceful and unrestricted.

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On a lighter note, the French baguette received a UNESCO heritage status. Yes, the long, thin and crispy-crunchy loaf of delicious bread has made its way together with “traditional tea making in China and Korean mask dance known as “talchum”.” You can eat it with soup, with jam, with butter, or make a sandwich.  By law, it is made with flour, water, salt and yeast, and the special touch of a knowledgeable baker, the 102-year-old baguette has made its way from outside France and became a worldwide symbol of France. More than 6 billion baguettes are baked each year. The criteria for selection to fit the World Heritage List embodies 10 considerable points. Criteria No. 3 “to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared,” fits the cultural significance that the baguette, or the wand, represents for France. 

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