EDITORIAL: Program gives people with disabilities a voice

Apr. 30—Thumbs up to Cow Tipping Press for hosting writing workshops that help change the narrative about people with disabilities.

The Waseca-founded publisher holds a five-week writing course at the Waseca Le Sueur Library in Waseca each spring that gives people who have disabilities an opportunity to express themselves through the written word and share their creations with others. Each student in the program also meets with an animator who adds visuals to the writing pieces.

The nonprofit press was started in 2016 by Bryan Boyce, who said people with disabilities are often written about but seldom listened to.

Not only does Cow Tipping Press publish the works, but a public reading is scheduled for 6 p.m.May 16 at the library in Waseca.

About 600 students have gone through the writing course since it was founded and gotten their work published. The teachers are usually college students. This spring at least one former student turned into a teacher, serving an apprenticeship to teach alongside a graduate student.

The program has all the components of a successful venture, helping people express themselves, giving others an opportunity to teach, and educating the public.

Big on bots

Thumbs up to the local school teams who are heading to the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas.

Area schools have for years excelled in student robotics team competition and several are again headed to the world championship.

East and West high schools are sending teams as are local middle schools.

And for the first time, two elementary school teams in the Mankato Area Public Schools Community Education program earned invitations after coming in first and second in state competition.

Beyond the fun of building and competing with bots, students involved in robotics learn science and engineering principles, as well as creativity, teamwork, leadership and problem solving.

Mankato area schools are continuing to build on their success.

Police probe

Thumbs down to the Minneapolis Police Department exhibiting a pattern of racism, according to a newly released report by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

A two-year investigation, begun after the George Floyd killing by police, cited a long list of problems. Data revealed "significant racial disparities with respect to officers' use of force, traffic stops, searches, citations, and arrests."

And that's just scratching the surface. The review included 700 hours of body camera video and 480,000 pages of city and police department documents.

The city will now negotiate a court-enforceable agreement with the state agency to address the problems flagged in the report, but steps need to be taken immediately to fix the culture of policing in the city. And that includes holding every officer accountable every day.

Bells for a cause

Thumbs up to organizers of what they hope will be a monthly event.

Bells will ring out in both Mankato and North Mankato, with organizers hoping the regular event — on the first Monday of the month — will remind residents to practice compassion.

NicBluCares Executive Director Mary Ann Boe said members have met with 10 pastors from various churches throughout both cities to request participation in Bells of Belonging.

Churches without bell towers may ring handbells instead.

While the events can't make anyone be more compassionate, hearing the sweet peal of bells can be a good regular reminder that we can all try harder.

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