I come from a talented, capable and impactful family. They inspire me and keep me honest. I believe in them. My mom and my grandma set the tone for excellence. My mom is not a big teller; she shows me her love with everything she has done. My dad is my best friend these days. I can tell him anything. I think the most of the younger siblings. That is why I move the way I move. To make my family proud; worthy of their investment.

—Drew Edwards

 

 

 

Deep South Roots 

My Grandmother and my great Aunt Loraine came up here in the early 1970s from Louisiana. One was a nurse, the other worked in a linen manufacturing company. They came for the work. My grandma remarried here, extending our family to include a side with St. Paul roots. My Aunt also got married here, giving me a gallow of cousins.

My mom was born in Hammond, Louisiana, 90 miles from New Orleans — a town so small that my family has their own street. My great uncles have barber shops and other businesses, on property the family owned since my great grandpa moved there and worked that land.  Mom left Louisiana for Minneapolis when she was about ten years old.

My Dad’s family are originally from Mississippi by way of Chicago. My Dad came up here while still in the military. He was a Marine. He was also a minister and had connections here through the church.

 

Childhood in Cedar Riverside 

My mother, brother, and sister brought me into the world. Mom went into labor in the house. She called grandma, who navigated her through it on the phone. My sister and brother — two and three years old — helped out.

I lived in a house in Cedar Riverside until I was nine or ten years old.  It was a pocketed part of the neighborhood. You have to come in through 28th street. No businesses, just a park, a hospital and a river. We would go down to the river all the time. I knew all my neighbors. I would go next door until my mom came home. It was traditionally White and Black. Native Americans shared the enjoining neighborhoods at Cedar and Franklin, and I was aware of their presence.

My parents got divorced when I was four. My dad had a new family by the time I was six. I didn’t even know that was problematic until I was of a teenager and I realized, boys do need their father.

 

Switching Schools and Special Ed 

I started school at Trinity Lutheran. From there I went to Hall, then Four Winds and then Wilder (now Benjamin Banneker). I kept getting kicked out. Expelled. Why? I think it’s layered.  1. I had personal stuff I needed to address. God has blessed me with discernment; knowing right from wrong. I would say what I thought, regardless of whether a person was my  elder. I got adults upset with me. 2. I was the victim of un-engaging curriculum styles. Even as a young kid, I always felt like “This is not for me; it is not entertaining, fulfilling, or rewarding.” I think that led to my outbursts — acting out. 3. I was in Special Ed from 3rd to 11th grade. My mother didn’t know how to help me. She had no idea how to advocate for my needs. She did what she thought was necessary; signed on the dotted line.

Four Winds Schools was an amazing experience.  I was the only Black kid in the school. I learned about the four directions, Indian flat bread, pow wows and sage.  Next to Black people, my heart goes out to my Native brothers and sisters. What they have been through, I couldn’t even fathom.  I am always grateful for my Four Winds experience, even though I got kicked out of there too.

 

Powderhorn Park and Introduction to Gangs 

Minneapolis has that distinction of being six blocks from any park — one of the things I love about it. When I moved to 34th and Bloomington, I was a block from Powderhorn Park. The neighborhood was more competitive. It was on a major street. Near Lake and Chicago. We didn’t know our neighbors. There was a gang. It was not like the tight-knit community I was raised in when I was little.

 

A Chance for Reinvention in Salinas, California 

Moving to so many schools, I didn’t make friends. My cousins were my friends, and kids at Church. When I was eleven, my mom changed churches. Three years later the pastor decided to move the church to California and Mom decided to follow him.  I was given a choice: stay with my dad or go with her. I chose to go with her to Salinas, California.  It changed my life.

I just thank God I was able to have the vision at that time, to know that I needed to get away. There were a series of events that happened during my 8th grade year. I got introduced to crack and how you could make money off of it. I got introduced to guns. The gang life had really turned up in South Minneapolis. Some high-ranking gang showed up. Hispanic brothers and sisters. It was serious. I didn’t think it was something I wanted to partake in, so when my mom gave me the option of leaving, I said yes.

Mom didn’t know any of this.  She worked fifty hours a week. Still does. She gave me everything I needed.  She did what she was required to do. I needed a community to raise me, as any kid does. But some in my community were not the American Dream.

In Salinas I didn’t have any cousins or friends except for the other people from the Church who migrated too — about 20 people.  My friend Ashley, a white girl from the Church, became a close friend. To this day I miss her because we had this experience that others don’t understand. In Salinas I was more outgoing.  I went to North Salinas High — the not-so-well high school in town. I had failed two of my classes as a freshman at Roosevelt, so I wasn’t allowed to go out for football in Minneapolis.  It had crushed me. It was one of the only things I had. In Salinas I got to play football.

My first day of school in Salinas I saw this guy getting his breakfast by himself. He was alone at lunch time as well. I walked up to him and said “You are not from here either.”He said,”Naw I’m from Tulsa, Bro.” From that day we’ve been best friends. Tulsa Tony.  We had the whole California experience together and then he came up here to live in the Midwest for a couple of years.I made some other friends on the football team.  I played with some future NFL players.

My school was predominantly Hispanic — it was a different feel. There were gangs but they were different. I didn’t have to worry too much about it. I became popular in California. I was from Minnesota. I was different. Interesting. It made me outgoing. It allowed me to be an individual — to formulate my own thought processes. On the other hand, as a kid in California there were no jobs for me. For teenagers in Minneapolis at least there were some job programs.

 

Learning how to Succeed, but Lacking College Prep at St. Paul Central 

I was in California for two years. I came back halfway through my junior year and finished high school at Central in St. Paul.  I made some really good friends there and I learned something about myself:  I could do well. I was working and taking after-school classes and still managed to graduate on time.  I had friends who were in Gen. Ed. the whole time, who came from nuclear families, who did not finish. I was on the wrestling team and I had good support system there. In the end, I didn’t get what I wanted at Central, but I got what I needed. But, I didn’t take the ACT or SAT. Nobody ever approached me about taking it.  No one talked to my mom about it.

 

MCTC 

After high school, I went to MCTC, studying Business. I have always had an entrepreneurial  sense.  MCTC had all these buffer courses. I went for a year and a half, paying to be ready for college. Still, MCTC was cool because it was different from high school.  I had choices, freedom,  opinions. And I had a different sense of school’s importance because it was costing to be there and I was paying for it. I took out a student loan. I met some really good friends. I got more of the experience of pushing through when things are difficult.

It was also a maturing period.  I had a stint of homelessness. The work I was able to get was doing security at the metro-dome.  I was also hustling, selling weed. I faced unemployment, learned how to find the ‘no- excuse button.’ I was learning how to support myself.  My mom and grandma had set the foundation— showing me how to work and support yourself. Now I had to do it.

I got my first apartment when I was 20, and a job as a retention specialist for Comcast — basically door-to-door bill collection. I learned about why and how people move: selling techniques. I learned that if you help enough people help themselves, you will get what you need in the end. I did that for about three years, without a lot of financial success but with a lot of mental success.  I am savvy. When I get started with my own business, it is going to take off.

In my early 20s I seriously considered moving out of the United States, maybe Brazil, or Toronto, Canada. Or moving to Tulsa, or Boca Raton, Florida, or back to California. Just moving. I didn’t feel like Minnesota had anything to offer me.  But, I thought, first I should finish school.

 

Urban Education Major at Metropolitan State University 

I graduated from MCTC after four years with a two-year degree.  I talked to people at Metro State, learned about their Urban Education program. I asked “What is your success rate? How many people of color actually pass through your program?” They said “Well, we are working on getting our numbers up.” I said, “Exactly!” [with sarcasm]. I was dubious, but I had learned from business that you have to put value in yourself for others to invest in you.  So I tried. I got the encouragement and support from professors. Ever since then I have been very successful in school — mostly A’s.

I’ve been a teaching sub. It is frustrating to me when people don’t care if I have the knowledge to teach something. They will say, “Would you like to do art today? Here is some material.” I say, “I don’t feel comfortable teaching something I just looked at ten minutes ago.” That is not excellence. The students deserve more.

 

An Educator with a Philosophy for Systemic Change

My philosophy for education is the same as for policing. It is not good enough to say there are some good cops if the overall system is racist. Likewise, it is not good enough if there are a few good teachers, if the overall system is racist. Lets work for overall excellence — all the teachers in the community, going to bat for kids.

I hear kids in 8th grade talking about joining gangs. I say, “What the hell are you talking about. You are playing a dangerous game. You need to find a different kind of support. Take Mr. Drew’s advice and find a sports team or other venue for support.” When kids try to out-slick me, I tell them. “I was the slickest. I know about that life and it is not for you. You think you have time, but in 8th grade decisions are being made and compounded.”

 

Transformed by the Murder of Travon Martin

I was involved in activism from a young age — May Day parades, church involvement, volunteering, coaching football at Powderhorn. That gave me a community advocate platform where I could speak. From doing business, my speaking voice has become more toned. But the murder of Travon Martin  transformed me. 

In 2012, I was watching the news. I heard a conversation about a young Black kid, who was killed by that guy — George Zimmerman. I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t understand it. It changed me. A grown man can kill a kid and get away with it?! Then people came out with that whole “hoodie” shit. Even people in my family were saying — “Hey, maybe you shouldn’t wear a hoodie.” I’m thinking to myself, “Oh hell. So now we can’t wear hoodies, walk at night, eat skittles, drink ice tea, travel alone, enter gated communities….”

It was a call to action. I’ve got to do something. So when Black Lives Matter first took 35W I said “Wow. They took the Highway?!  Hmmm… “ Then when it came to shutting down Hiawatha I was like — IT’S TIME! We shut it down. Today (July 25th, 2016) I took a plea bargain on my Mall of America charge.  If I get another trespassing charge, it will become a misdemeanor.

 

In the Movement for Black Lives 

I don’t claim a Black Lives Matter Banner.  At the end of the day, the banner’s going to fade away, but the movement continues. The struggle is real.  A lot of different banners are going to be waived in the process. I’m with the movement. With the stone being pushed and turned.  At the Mall of America, the Black State Fair, nonviolent rallies, through education and conversations with people at work and in my community. Working broadly allows me to have many circles of friends, people who would not naturally speak to each other.  I try to unify people, to bring them together.A lot of people don’t know how to be politically savvy in letting people know the truth. You have to be a person who can shine light without people feeling burnt. I am trying to master that. 

There are two faces to my life right now. One face I stay strong and show my best side. The other face: I just want what I want minus the sacrifice and the hard work.

 

Activist in North Minneapolis 

I moved to North Minneapolis recently. I love it. One of the best decisions I have made in my life. My dad was always a north-sider, so I was never a person who said, “I’m not going to North…”  but once I started working on the Northside I thought, “These are my people!”  They are more loyal, more responsive to community concerns than other people, concerned about what is going on with their kids. They want to get it right.

If you don’t go over to North Minneapolis, you really don’t know what we are dealing with,  be it food deserts or economic mobility,  or this whole bad narrative about people getting shot. Every time people get shot in Northeast, or a Northern suburbs it is reported as North Minneapolis. It could be in Crystal, or Robbinsdale, but they say its North Minneapolis.

There are people who get a little recognition, who claim to still be part of the neighborhood. People want a token. They say “Go to Him.” They get a nice little severance package, get used to an 80K diet and now they live in Robbinsdale. They still go to Zion or Shiloh, and their mom is still in North,  but they still haven’t pushed a stone. It’s true nationwide. When was the last time Jesse Jackson actually did something impactful?

I have become involved with many groups:  Brotherhood Empowerment, Black Coal, Mad Dads, Black Lives Matter, and Social Justice Education Movement. I really believe it is about bringing the groups together.  That is my goal. The by-any-means-necessary folks, people of faith, teachers, business people. I work with them all. I go to many meetings.  I want to be at the table as much as I can.

__________

Update: September 2019: Drew Edwards began teaching English Language Arts to 6th graders at Ramsey Middle School in St. Paul Minnesota.  

Update: After the Murder of George Floyd, May 25, 2020

This has been the most interesting year of my lifetime. We have a President who challenges us all to ask: who should have the authority to lead, and what should the leadership look like? Then the Corona virus.  Then the killing of Breonna Tayler, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, really woke people up.

One of the things I did, after the murder of George Floyd, was help organize food & supply giveaways at God be the Glory Ministries.

I patrolled North Minneapolis myself on those nights the National Guard and white supremacists roamed our streets: 3am -6am,  down Dowling & Penn to James & Lowry. It left me with a few thoughts: 1. Our community is beautiful, diverse, and capable. 2. We have many displaced people, people who struggle in our streets with drugs and prostitution. 3. Countless people have stepped up. I see people/cars on watch, others helping their neighbor, and many have prioritized family/community as everyone’s responsibility. We are stronger together.

I wonder if this is what MLK was talking about in terms of the dream of seeing people coming together, because I have never seen such solidarity and unity from all people in all spaces. I continue to challenge people not to get complacent,  to push the narrative and the tone. We are setting the tone not only for ourselves but for the future. We need to push the highest presentation of one another. We all need to come to the table willing to sacrifice what we have for the greater benefit of all of us.

 

Minneapolis Interview Project Explained

Anne Winkler-Morey, Ph.D. is a writer, historian, educator and activist based in Minneapolis.  She is a scholar of social movements, nationalism and inequality in the US and Latin America.  In 2011-12 she and her spouse biked the perimeter of the United States, with forays into Mexico and Canada, 12,000 miles. Her book about the trip: Allegiance to Winds and Waters: Bicycling the Political Divides of the United States is forthcoming in March 2022. 

Her Minneapolis Interview Project (turtleroad.org) is aiming for 100 interviews: stories of people whose lives reflect on inequality and social justice in Minneapolis. She also blogs on people’s history and social movements.