 Come to the Juneteenth celebration June 15 and bring your questions about the 2020 U.S. census. The City of Minneapolis We Count team will be out celebrating freedom and sharing information about the upcoming census. This celebration is a perfect opportunity to share information and encourage participation in the 2020 census. African American households are at risk of being undercounted, putting their families, communities and neighborhoods at a disadvantage. Communities must be fully counted to fully benefit from political representation and valuable funding over the next 10 years.
Historically, the African American population has been undercounted in the U.S. census. In fact:
- The 2010 census undercounted the African American population.
- Approximately 7% of young African American children were overlooked by the 2010 census, roughly twice the undercounting rate of young non-Hispanic white children.
- African American men have historically been undercounted in greater numbers than men of other racial or ethnic groups.
- Today, more than one in three African Americans live in hard-to-count census tracts.
The Juneteenth celebration is free and open to all. This community-led celebration features a parade, music and performances, historical reenactments, great local food and more.
Juneteenth 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 15 Bethune Park, 1304 10th Ave. N.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865, that Major General Gordon Granger and his troops landed at Galveston, Texas, where they announced – and enforced – President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had officially taken effect two and a half years earlier. Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth has been celebrated in Minneapolis for decades. It is an important celebration for African American descendants of the enslaved.
Find more information about the Juneteenth celebration here.
 On July 1, the minimum wage in Minneapolis is going up to $11 for small employers and $12.25 for large employers.
The Minneapolis minimum wage ordinance defines small businesses as having 100 or fewer employees and large businesses as having more than 100. Tips and gratuities do not count toward payment of a minimum wage.
The City’s Department of Civil Rights oversees enforcement of the municipal minimum wage, and workers are encouraged to report violations online. The City has received 28 reports of minimum wage violations to date. Employees have received over $21,000 in back wages and penalties as a result of investigations into those violations.
Increases in Minneapolis’ minimum wage benefit tens of thousands of families. The ordinance supports the City’s goals of promoting economic inclusion and reducing economic and racial disparities.
For more information about the ordinance, visit minimumwage.minneapolismn.gov. For additional questions call 311 or email minwage@minneapolismn.gov.
 Join City and community leaders, activists and local artists on World Refugee Day June 20 to recognize the strength, resilience and contributions of Minneapolis’ many refugee communities. The United Nations established World Refugee Day to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees and the millions of people worldwide who have been forced from home by war and persecution.
World Refugee Day Thursday, June 20 City Hall, 350 S. Fifth St.
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Ground floor Rotunda Fun, food and dance. Learn how local immigrant leaders and City government officials work to support refugees.
1:30 p.m. Third floor Room 319 Panel discussion with the International Refugee Assistance Project, the Tibetan Association of Minnesota, Isuroon, the Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota and the Minnesota Council for Churches about refugee resettlement, legal challenges facing refugees and asylum-seekers, and key community issues. Register here to attend the panel discussion.
This event is organized by the City of Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. Read more about how the office assists City lawmakers and staff to provide protection and support to immigrants and refugees, and learn about how the City is working to make sure immigrants and refugees are counted in the 2020 census.
 The City of Minneapolis has been selected for a national initiative that will help advance one of our key racial equity goals for the enterprise: diversifying the City’s vendor base. The Citi Foundation and Living Cities’ expansion of the City Accelerator initiative on Inclusive Procurement offers participating cities a range of innovative projects to use their purchasing power and public dollars to support businesses owned by people of color. The initiative awarded Minneapolis a $50,000 grant, technical assistance and other support. Other cities selected for the initiative include Boston; Cleveland; El Paso, Texas; Houston; Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh and South Bend, Indiana.
“This is a great opportunity for the city’s businesses of color. Participation in the City Accelerator initiative will help us advance one of our key racial equity goals for the enterprise: diversifying the City’s vendor base,” said City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins. “While I’m hopeful this grant will help us move the dial on our efforts to increase the number of contracts the City has with businesses owned by people of color, we know that one challenge is preparing vendors to be in a position to contract with the City, so we will be simultaneously working on that issue as well.”
As part of the City’s Strategic and Racial Equity Action Plan process, the City Council adopted City enterprise goals in December 2018 that call for diversifying the City’s vendor base, increasing the retention of racially and ethnically diverse employees, improving the use of racially disaggregated data in policymaking; and improving the capacity of the City’s boards and commissions to advance racial equity work.
The Strategic and Racial Equity Action Plan is a four-year plan that will embed racial equity principles into all aspects of the City’s work, aligning work from City leadership to departments and defining goals at all planning levels that can be objectively measured and inform resource decisions. The City Council is expected to vote on a final version of the plan this summer.
 |
CEAC concluded its first phase of advising the City Council and Mayor’s office on the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance. After much debate, CEAC, in a divided vote, decided to approve a letter of support for the ordinance but with conditions. Due to the limited community involvement in developing this draft of the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance, we will work to ensure future iterations include the voices of those who are impacted most. As CEAC looks ahead to its next set of tasks, foremost on members’ minds is engaging those with diverse perspectives the current commission lacks, especially people of color, Indigenous communities, non-native English speakers, and the economically disadvantaged. Currently there are two vacancies on the commission, and they would love to have you join them. You can apply today.
If you're interested in learning more about the work of CEAC or have an environmental concern you would like the group to consider, visit their website or their Friends of CEAC Facebook page to get in touch. Their meetings are always open to the public, and I encourage you to join them.
Next CEAC Meeting: July 11, 2019, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at North Market, 4414 Humboldt Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55412
 Hennepin County organizes collection events to give residents convenient options for getting rid of household hazardous wastes. Materials accepted include unwanted automotive waste; household, lawn and garden products; batteries; items containing mercury and more.
Upcoming hazardous waste collection events are held Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the following dates and locations in Minneapolis:
June 21 and 22
Pillsbury Elementary School (enter off 22nd Avenue NE) 2250 Garfield St. NE
July 26 and 27
Jenny Lind Elementary School (enter off Dupont Avenue) 5025 Bryant Ave. N.
Aug. 9 and 10
South High School (enter off 21st Avenue South) 3131 19th Ave. S.
Materials accepted
Household, lawn and garden products
-
- Batteries – tape both terminals.
- CFLs and other fluorescent lamps, and HID lamps (limit 25).
- Drain, oven and other corrosive cleaners.
- Gas cylinders – propane less than 40 pounds. Specialty gases (oxygen, helium, etc.) less than 59 pounds will be evaluated onsite; some may not be accepted.
- Mercury thermostats and thermometers.
- Paint, stain, varnish, solvents (limit three 5-gallon pails).
-
- Petroleum adhesives.
- Pool chemicals.
Automotive products
- Diesel fuel.
- Fuel additives.
- Gasoline (containers will not be returned).
-
- Starter fluid.
- Vehicle lead-acid batteries.
-
No electronics, sharps or motor oil.
Get more details including directions to the event locations and a full list of materials that will and will not be accepted at www.hennepin.us/collectionevents.
| 
