Jennifer Bennerotte opened the meeting for Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

 

We were greeted at the door by Skip Thomas, Lisa Walker and Kenny Smith. Dan Hare and Jennifer Garske had Front Desk duties.

 

Kevin Kalal opened with the invocation, Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test.

 

Mitch Robinson introduced Jim Nelson, a visiting Rotarian from the City of Lakes Club; and Mary Younggren who brought a guest, Sue Stein; and Scott Neal who brought M.J. Lamon.

 

Steve Buettner introduced our student guests: and Benjamin Hamlen, Grade 12, and Lillian Brown, Grade 12, told us about their current interests in school and plans for the future. Ken Andersen made an announcement about the upcoming bowling night.

 

New member Lisa Walker was inducted into the club at the meeting by Patti Ellingson-Solheim. Lisa’s sponsor is Les Wanninger.

 

Patti also introduced our speaker for the day, Steve Winnick.

 

Mr. Winnick is a retired lawyer. He practiced in the Twin Cities for 40 years as partner, board member and in the business law department chair at Briggs and Morgan and since retirement has consulted with various law firms. He is a University of Minnesota alum from both undergrad and law school. Mr. Winnick is also a U.S. Army ROTC grad, with active duty as First Lieutenant from 1961 to 1963. He has been married for 54 years to Arlene. They have two children, both Edina High School grads, and four grandchildren.

 

He is the former president of the Cornelia School PTA; co-chair of the first Edina schools referendum; and a member of several Edina schools task forces. He's the former president of the Twin Cities Marathon; a board member of: legal advice clinics; Minneapolis television community access network; PBS channel 2, Twin Cities Public TPT; the Lupus Foundation, MN chapter. He is also the recipient of Briggs and Morgan's pro bono service award.

 

Mr. Winnick, is working to move Edina to become a Human Rights City.

 

The Edina Human Rights & Relations Commission has taken on a global initiative from the United Nations called Human Rights Cities, endorsed at the 2014 national meeting of U.S. mayors. This initiative calls for cities to guide their strategies for education, health, housing, etc. by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That Declaration passed the UN in 1948.

 

Edina is part of this effort. One of the steps the Commission and others working toward this goal are taking is to bring this message widely to people who live, work and study in Edina.

 

Mr. Winnick is a long-time member of the Edina Human Rights & Relations Commission and chairs its affordable housing committee. He is also a member of the Human Rights Cities committee. He has been very active in local issues.

 

Mr. Winnick told about the history of the Twin Cities area and their reputation in regard to human rights. It is not a pretty picture. Minneapolis, up until at least the 1960s, was known as one of the most anti-Semitic communities in the country. Throughout the 1940s, organizations that were known for discriminating either based on race or religion, or both, included the Auto Club; Realtors; hospitals, in not granting doctors staff privileges; the University of Minnesota medical school in limiting a “quota” of minorities; and the Edina Country Club area that had restrictive covenants barring blacks, Asians and Jews.

 

Change began in the 1960s with passage of the Minnesota Human Rights Act in 1965. That was followed in 1967 by Minneapolis’s Human Rights Commission; in 1970 by Edina’s Human Rights Commission, and in 1971, the non-governmental Minnesota League of Human Rights Commission was formed.

 

New issues continue to come to the fore. These include discrimination against same-sex couples; life-long disenfranchisement for felons; the nationally-poor performance of Minnesota in the area of the high school graduation rate and the general academic achievement gap for minorities; ways in which individuals are effectively “enslaved” even in these times.

 

The new approach, of which Edina is now a part, is to try to determine what policies would look like if we were proactive rather than reactive in dealing with areas of discrimination. Mr. Winnick talked about the process involved leading to developing a strategic plan.

 

Jean Morrison thanked the speaker and Jennifer Bennerotte adjourned the meeting.

Edina Rotary Bowling Night is This Weekend!

When:  Jan. 30
 
Time:   7 p.m.
 
Place:   Park Tavern, 3401 Louisiana Ave. S., St. Louis Park — just north of Highway 7 on Louisiana Avenue
 
Cost: $25 per person, includes lane, bowling ball and some recently sprayed, fashionable shoes
 
Rotarians are encouraged to bring their spouses or friends. Trophies, door prizes and great looking footwear are part of this event! Register online.