An influential Black Minneapolis activist shuts up a city’s park board president in a video depicting a May 11 meeting where activists were confronting the board about diversity issues in the community.
In the 6-minute exchange, Minneapolis Park Board President Liz Wielinski begins screaming and yelling at Nekima Levy-Pounds — who is a prominent activist and President of the Minneapolis branch of NAACP — claiming that she is being rude and interrupting.
“I’m tired of this. You keep interrupting our meetings,” Wielinski shouted at Levy-Pounds as she began to speak. “You’re a rude, interrupting adult.”
Levy-Pounds felt she was being disrespected as she confronted the majority white board about having Black and brown representatives. Levy-Pounds even pointed out the women’s white privilege. In the video, she states that Wielinski was using her privilege to create a scene and overtly disrespect her in front of dozens of board members and activists.
“I’m not your child. Don’t ever talk to me like that again,” Levy-Pounds, a law professor, told Wielinski.
Not having access to the entire meetings clip, the public is leff to view just this portion. Based on that, the leadership was over the top, out of control and lacked professionalism or they werer silent. Unfortunately, the president opted to exacerbate and antagonise by then taping instead of listening, hearing and attempting to quail the situation. Things are changing in our nation politically. Access, equity and fairness is going to be more and more and more demanded, so it's better to self correct, and redirect resources in a way that is more inclusive across the board, or else our nation is going to be in a world of hurt real, real soon……