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“Robert Townsend with Rusty this morning on KSTP-TV Channel 5″ (photo: IBNN NEWS)

Townsend’s visit is also different from other Black celebrities that come into the Twin Cities and never go to into the Black community. Townsend will attend a number of events in north Minneapolis at Turning Point, Inc for a press conference on Wednesday, June 27th at 10:00 a.m. – and an appearance at Pillsbury United Communities WE CARE Theater Arts Festival at Farview Park in north Minneapolis later that day.

By Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/The Independent Business News Network

Minneapolis, MN (IBNN NEWS/Entertainment/June 27, 2012)…Actor/Director Robert Townsend visits Minneapolis for an exclusive screening on one of the most important disparities facing Black males: Suspensions and expulsions in high school and how a school for Black youth has become a success in educating, graduating and motivating a segment of the population that is often overlooked.

Multitalented actor/director and producer Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, The Meteor Man, The Parent ‘Hood, Raw) will make a brief appearance at the Pillsbury United Communities WE CARE Programs Theater Arts Festival sponsored by the Pohlad Family Foundation on Wednesday, June 27th from 1-5 p.m. at Farview Park located at 1201 Sheridan Avenue North in Minneapolis.

This event features Debbie Duncan, Gwen    Mathews along with Tom West and James L. Stroud, Lorna Michelson and others.

Robert Townsend’s arrival in Minneapolis sends a message to local educators: the challenges Minneapolis faces with Black males and education is on the national radar.

In the Hive is a feature film based on an actual school, called the Hive. The film is set in a disadvantaged community and follows a group of at risk teenagers who have been expelled from their public school system. The school, which becomes a life changing environment, is run by a strong matriarch figure whose compassion and no-nonsense manner helps these young men from troubled, often violent backgrounds, greatly improve their educational outcomes, self-esteem and future. (See the Hive School here)

Townsend, whose movie credits date back two decades, has won national praise for making a movie that mixes humor with a serious message. But in an interview in the Washington Post, Townsend said the central message to young people is that they are loved.

“The film lets us know that we can’t turn our back on any of these kids,” Townsend said. “A lot of kids are dropping out of school. A lot of kids are at risk. This movie is a message of hope to kids, to teachers, to parents to say that we cant give up on our kids and it is going to take all of us together to make a difference.”

A press conference will be held on June 27, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Turing Point, Inc. – located at 1500 Golden Valley Road, Minneapolis, MN 55411.

The screening with Q & A will be held at Sabathani Community Center, located at 310 East 38th Street in Minneapolis on June 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. – Tickets are $10.

Sponsors for this event: Turning Point, Inc., We Care Performing Arts, Drop Out to Drop Ins Project, Sabathani Community Center, Pillsbury United Communities, YDE Consultants with media sponsors, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, The Independent Business News Network and the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and Black Music America (BMA).

For more information, call 612-986-0010.