SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The death of Renee Good, shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, is the latest in a series of tragedies in Minneapolis, from the killings of Philando Castile in 2016 and George Floyd in 2020 by police that sparked protests around the country to the shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church last year. Minnesota Public Schools closed for the week after Renee Good's death on Wednesday, and the city is once again bracing for protests. Heather Anderson is the executive director of the Advancing Equity Coalition and raising two children in Minneapolis. Her daughter, Hattie Anderson, is a senior at Washburn High School in south Minneapolis and is president of the Black Student Union there. We want to thank you both for being with us. Thank you.
HEATHER ANDERSON: We're honored. Thank you for having us.
HATTIE ANDERSON: Yes. Thanks for having us.
SIMON: What's the week been like, for both of you? Let's begin with Heather.
HEATHER ANDERSON: You know, I think we - those of us who live here in the city have been worried that something like this was very close to happening. It's been building. We've been feeling the tension. Those who have been out trying to make sure our neighbors stay safe have been feeling things build, and it's been a very emotionally trying week. It's also bringing back a lot of the same feelings for us that we felt right after George Floyd's murder.
SIMON: And Hattie Anderson?
HATTIE ANDERSON: Yeah. It's been very hectic. And probably the closest word to describe it is just like we feel out of control. Just speaking from a kid perspective, we usually feel out of control just since we're kids, you know? We're not adults. We can't control what we feel as we wish we could. But this situation, we just completely are out of control.
SIMON: May I ask, are either of you planning to take part in any protests this weekend?
HATTIE ANDERSON: No. I am not.
SIMON: Why? You seem very emphatic.
HATTIE ANDERSON: I have before, and that was for the George Floyd one. But after I've seen, like, the killing, I just - I really don't want to be a part of something that could just really traumatize me all alone. And I like to do my kind of, like, community building in a different way. Protesting is another way to do that, but I like to do my work closer to the problem and with the people that are being affected.
SIMON: Well, help us understand that work, Hattie.
HATTIE ANDERSON: So little stuff like I am the president of the Black Student Union. So just bringing all the Black students together and also, you know, just African Americans. So we also try to bring the Somali students in as well. So we kind of try to put that together. And then we try to collide different cultures together and then talk about problems like that, and then just our perspectives as kids.
SIMON: And, Heather Anderson, are you attended any protests?
HEATHER ANDERSON: You know, I do my protest work much differently now. I've been an advocate and a community organizer in our city for about five years. And I think protests are a wonderful place for folks to start, and I think there is a moment to express outrage. And then there becomes this moment where we have to really ask ourselves, how are we going to live here? How are we going to stay? How are we going to keep our neighbors safe long term? And so in community organizing, we call it cold anger - right? -staying consistent, showing up all the time. So I won't be protesting this weekend, but I hope that anybody who does protest this weekend starts to think of themselves as a person who can make a long-term difference in our city.
SIMON: Hattie, it occurs to me you have seen a lot in your young life in your backyard, haven't you?
HATTIE ANDERSON: Yes, a lot.
SIMON: What's that done to you, do you think? What - how has it changed you, informed you, made you think to grow up in the fulcrum of all these events?
HATTIE ANDERSON: Yeah. It definitely kept me on my toes more. George Floyd happened when I was 12. I've definitely had to learn how to navigate through this world differently. Just being in south Minneapolis and being in the heart of it, definitely had to grow up a little bit faster and stuff like that, and just knowing firsthand, like, knowledge about it because I see it, and I breathe it, and I speak it.
SIMON: What would you like people to know about Minneapolis?
HEATHER ANDERSON: We're not a perfect city. Minneapolis has lots of messes. And when you live far away from problems and from people you disagree with, it's very easy to have an opinion of them or a mindset that you feel very justified in, right? So I always think of that like the caboose of a train. It's far away. But in Minneapolis, we're, like, in the engine, sort of shoved up against the glass of the engine this week, right? So the problems are there for everyone. The things that we need to work out and agree on as a country are there for everyone. But here in Minneapolis, we get the opportunity and the pain of wrestling with them more often and more frequently and sometimes, unfortunately, more violently.
You know, in Minneapolis, when we talk about someone being deported or removed from our community, we're not talking about people that live far away or an idea. We're talking about our friends. We're talking about an 11th grader that comes to our after-school programming, who now has a mom who can't pay rent. Like, this is very personal.
SIMON: And, Hattie Anderson?
HATTIE ANDERSON: One thing that I can say about Minneapolis is, you know, of course, we're not where we want to be, and there's a lot of work. But just simply, just housing-wise, we see more people moving out to the suburbs, and we see the suburbs moving into the city, which can be a good and bad thing, but I see a lot of good in that. And that's one thing I can say, is that Minneapolis people are OK with being uncomfortable, and that's a great thing.
SIMON: Heather and Hattie Anderson, a mother and daughter speaking to us from their hometown, Minneapolis. Thank you both for speaking with us on this week.
HEATHER ANDERSON: Oh. It's our honor.
HATTIE ANDERSON: Yes. Thank you so much.
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