In-person & Online Voting Now Open!
We will have volunteers at the following locations with paper ballots for youth, ages 13-24, to vote on the projects they like to see get funded in their community.
- July 25, 6-8 p.m. at East Lake Street Library, 2727 E Lake St.
- July 26, 1-5 p.m. at North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Ave N
Can't make it to an in-person voting session? Vote online at
www.surveymonkey.com/r/YouthVote2019.
More information on the project
400 Year Commemoration Events
Lecture Series
The City of Minneapolis’ Division of Race and Equity Summer Lecture Series are designed to increase the awareness and understanding of the African American experience over the last 400 years. The series starts by centering the African American experience in who we were prior to enslavement and ends with a call to reimagine a future of health and wellness moving forward.
Still Here: 400 Years of Resistance and Black Joy
Join the City of Minneapolis’ Division of Race and Equity for this upcoming event as we honor the 400 Year Commemoration of Oppression, Resistance and Liberation of African Americans at Sabathani Community Center. We will reflect on the legacy of African Americans in this country, including how we have resisted and come through, and celebrate our persistent resilience and joy as we move forward. The event includes a lineup of speakers, performers, and you! It is open to the public, kid-friendly, and free.
- August 22, 5-8 p.m., Sabathani Community Center
Register here
Volunteer for the 2019 Trans Equity Summit!
We are looking for volunteers for the Trans Equity Summit this fall. Volunteer positions include but are not limited to assisting with registration, supporting panelists, supporting organizations that are tabling, being involved in breakout sessions, serving lunch, etc.
To volunteer for the summit, please email RaceEquity@minneapolismn.gov.
Kente Circle Training Institute Hosts Fall Conference
A Communal Discourse: Embracing Racial Consciousness
This year, Kente Circle has invited national and local community members to share their experience and model how we can develop practices that allow us to “Embrace Racial Consciousness” as we continue to lean into the struggle of racial oppression. At KCTI’s 8th annual fall conference we will once again convene as a community and tap into how institutional racism attempts to stifle our collective genius and identity as a community. It is our goal to build on last year’s conference, Keeping the Faith: In the Midst of Racial Oppression, and work towards creating a new paradigm that lifts up people of color, indigenous people, and other marginalized communities. It is our intention to provoke questions that will impact our awareness, propel us toward sustainable equity for communities of color and into action beyond complicity.
Conference Objectives
- Bridging the gaps between communities to build collective consciousness
- Unpack historical and current political resistance to racial equity
- Explore experiences around racial shame and pathways toward racial healing
- Identify individual and communal strategies to combat institutional racism
- Explore the intersectionality that exists between White Allies’ work and BIPOC’s work towards racial healing and how retraumatization can occur in the process
More information and registration
Open Seats for Transgender Equity Council
There are two vacancies for the Transgender Equity Council. The vacancies are for Wards 3 and 6. You must live in the ward to apply for the vacancy.
As a member of the Transgender Equity Council, you will advise the City of Minneapolis and Park Board on matters of importance to transgender and gender-nonconforming residents; and provide a forum for issues of importance to the transgender community. Study issues, courses of action, policies, and programs that affect the quality of life for transgender residents and makes recommendations to the City and Park Board for improvements related to these issues. Serve as a liaison between the Minneapolis transgender community and the City and Park Board, and make every effort to ensure that the diverse viewpoints and interests of the transgender residents of Minneapolis are reflected in the course of work.
When filling out the application, please use your preferred name. You do not need to use your legal name.
Apply here!
City Council Approves Policy Priorities for City's Strategic and Racial Equity Action Plan
The City Council today approved policy priorities for the City’s first-ever Strategic and Racial Equity Action Plan, a four-year plan that embeds racial equity principles into all aspects of the City’s work and defines goals that can be objectively measured and inform resource decisions.
The City’s three policy priorities include:
- Reducing involuntary displacement in rental housing for black, indigenous and people of color communities.
- Increasing the number of Minneapolis-based businesses owned by black, indigenous and people of color; and increase businesses with black, indigenous and people of color ownership that are still in business after five years.
- Increasing the number of black, indigenous and people of color ages 10 to 24 years living in higher violence areas of Minneapolis who participate in high quality youth programs.
View entire press release
Stone Wall Oral History Project
The Division of Race and Equity welcomes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), transgender and gender non-conforming community members to share their reflections about Stonewall’s legacy. Your voices can encourage a pivotal movement for equity in Minneapolis. We appreciate your support! Contact RaceEquity@mineapolismn.gov if you are interested in being a participant for the Stonewall Oral History Project.
Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery Northside Oral History Project Exhibit Now Open!
Visit the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum & Gallery to listen to stories from Northside community members. There are nine stories available currently. This exhibit will close on Oct. 1
Minneapolis Black Business Week
The City of Minneapolis will be celebrating the first ever Minneapolis Black Business Week from July 19-27. The goal of Minneapolis Black Business Week is not only to highlight Black-owned businesses within our city, but to foster connections to resources and support for existing businesses.
Mayor Frey, City departments, and partner organizations will be hosting special events throughout the week, from networking and business support to a movie night and shopping. To learn more about the planned events, visit www.MinneapolisBlackBusinessWeek.com.
We hope that you will join us, and help us make sure that Black Business Week 2019 is a success. How?
- Share this information broadly with your networks.
- Encourage black-owned businesses you work with to sign up for the directory on our website
- Use your social media presence to shout out black-owned businesses in your neighborhood/membership using the hashtag #MplsBlackBizWeek. Encourage folks to dine out and shop black the week of July 19-27.
- Join us at scheduled events for fun and networking!
Slaveholders in the North Star State Event
Although slavery was primarily a Southern institution, dozens of Southern slaveholders purchased land and invested in Minnesota businesses. This provided a financial foundation for growing new communities with profits flowing back to the South.
October 15, 7-8 p.m.
Minnesota History Center
345 W. Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul
In this History Lounge, join MNHS Press Christopher Lehman, author of Slavery's Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State, to explore the lesser-known history of how Southern slaveholder wealth intertwined with Minnesota's early development and helped build the North Star State.
More information and registration
About the Division of Race & Equity
The Division of Race & Equity is housed in the City Coordinator's Department.
For more information, please email RaceEquity@minneapolismn.gov.
This update was developed [in part] under grant number 1H79SM063520-03 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.
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