If you’re the kind of person that reads a post-debate blog from us, then I think I can safely make two guesses about you. First, I bet you, like me, watched the debate last night (even if you didn’t, I know you’ve heard some chatter about it on the radio or Facebook). Second, I’m guessing that you, like me, find Donald Trump almost impossible to listen to. He’s loud, truth-deficient, insecure and hurtful. He reminds me of the bully that used to torment me in grade school, only now that bully could actually be the next President of the United States of America. Not enough people are talking about Hillary Clinton, whose strong, steady performance showed us what leadership looks like.
But what I want us to focus on is the cold, cynical, dog-eat-dog vision of our country that Donald Trump, the Republican Presidential nominee, put forward last night. According to Trump, our entire society is failing because we as people are too different and too diverse to ever get along. Based on what he says, women, people of color, immigrants, and Muslims are deficient. His solutions aren’t so much about policy or plans, they’re about competition. At all costs. Always.… Continue reading »
On Sunday October 2nd, join Take Action Minnesota’s endorsed candidates Dan Wolgamott (State Senate) Zachary Dorholt (State House) and Abdi Daisane (City Council At Large) for a Sunday brunch and door knock!
Today, there are at least 20,000 incarcerated people across the country on strike demanding fair wages, better work conditions and humane treatment. This is the largest prison strike in the history of our country.People are risking their safety, being thrown into isolation and cut off from their family members just to make sure their voices are heard.
What are you risking to make this world more humane?
Today, many people sat glued to their phones as another unarmed Black Man was gunned down in Tulsa, Oklahoma and videotaped for all of us to watch. Another family has lost one of its own to state-sanctioned violence. Let the outcry and demand for Justice begin as another person transitions from a living man to a hashtag.
What are you demanding?
This past weekend, we saw the community of Saint Cloud, MN torn apart by an individual’s senseless acts of violence.… Continue reading »
I’m Justin Lewandowski. I was born and raised in Saint Cloud. I am also a former student of Saint Cloud State, and I’m a community organizer. What happened in Crossroads, in my community, this weekend is a tragedy. I’m hurting and so is the rest of my TakeAction team. We wish the ten victims of the attack and their families healing and strength. We’re well aware of the amount of pain this nonsensical violence has put into our communities — the victims, their families, and all of the residents of Saint Cloud.
In this time of sadness and pain, I wish nothing more than for my hometown, my community, to come together to heal from this tragedy. I want us to form deeper connections with each other so that we may be able to better understand each other and in turn, better see each other’s full humanity.
I know that one of the best ways to do just that is through our stories and listening to one another. Here are two community members’ reflections. I share them with you so that we can come together and heal. So that we can better support the people directly impacted by this act of violence and their families.… Continue reading »
Hello, my name is Raul Noguera-McElroy, and I was an elections intern with TakeAction this summer! My last day was on August 16th. I hail from New Mexico and was connected to TakeAction through Carleton College alumni who are staff at TakeAction. The best part of my elections internship this summer was participating in what the Trekker Door Knocks. My favorite door knock was the one I did on behalf of Erin Maye Quade, who is running to represent the Apple Valley region in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Although the entire experience was incredibly fun, I want to highlight the moments that made the door knock both fun and powerful for me.
First, I appreciated meeting Erin before knocking doors and asking how she would work on issues facing Latinos like myself. Her answer shifted the narrative for me because as a Latino I felt powerful and listened to, an event that is a rarity in today’s political world. This experience sent the message to me that for the first time, my voice and my community would be heard and represented in St. Paul. Before this experience, I had felt like Latinos and our issues never made it past the front doors of the Capitol, let alone into the minds of legislators.… Continue reading »
Join us for our monthly J4A Community Member Meeting. Building stronger community and voices in the fight for criminal justice reform to create a fair Minnesota.
Contrary to the Star Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsement of Mohamud Noor in the District 60B DFL primary, Ilhan Omar is the coalition-builder we need to represent this diverse district at the State Capitol.
Before Ilhan’s campaign, it was unusual for longtime residents, new Americans and students in the district to talk to one another, much less to work together for a common goal. Ilhan’s campaign has built solidarity among these groups and is a promise of what our district can become: a united community that leads the way in advancing our shared progressive values.
Ilhan believes that the diversity in this district is our greatest strength. As our state representative, she will bring all voices to the table to build a more prosperous and equitable Minnesota for everyone.
Ilhan has a unique understanding of the issues that matter to District 60B as a result of the extensive conversations she has had with community members in all neighborhoods. An ability to listen deeply and build collaborative relationships between people of different backgrounds is characteristic of her leadership and is a critical skill in a district as diverse as ours and a Legislature as fractured as Minnesota’s.
She demonstrated this type of leadership in her work as senior policy aide to Minneapolis City Council Member Andrew Johnson, when she held multiple listening sessions and forums to build support for paid sick leave.… Continue reading »
Want to know why our members were so excited to endorse Ilhan Omar for State Representative? Here are the top five reasons:
ONE
Ilhan Omar’s leadership reflects our values for racial, gender and economic justice. Ilhan:
Supported the Ban the Box legislation in 2013
Joined the strike led by nurses of the Minnesota Nurses Association fighting to keep their health care
Currently serves as the Director of Policy Initiatives at Women Organizing Women, where she supports the civic leadership of East African women.
TWO
With support from TakeAction, MN Nurses Association, Outfront Minnesota, former Mayor R.T. Rybak, State Senator Scott Dibble, and a teeming list of community members – Ilhan has the support behind her to win. While most of the establishment assumed that everyone would automatically line up behind the incumbent, Ilhan has worked hard to prove she is the best choice for her district – and our members agreed when we resoundingly endorsed her earlier this year.
THREE
Ilhan has built a broad coalition that truly represents the diverse and beautiful communities of her district. Students, immigrants, and neighbors too often alienated by politics have joined her campaign. She has a team led by students and women of color, she has older white folks calling other seniors to talk about why its #Time4Ilhan.… Continue reading »
We don’t have a Justice System, we have a crime and punishment system. One that protects the profits and property of the wealthy, and divides and controls the rest of us. If we do nothing, this system, steeped in racism, sexism, and built to enhance corporate power, will continue to target and dismantle our families. All over the country, people are standing up and demanding justice. Here is what the Justice 4 All program has been up to this month, and what we have coming up.
The Leaders of the Justice 4 All Program repeatedly joined BLM, AFT and allies in the streets, shutting down highways and taking arrests. We supported artists who were weary from marching and therefore decided to take their heartfelt expressions to the Minneapolis streets by painting a powerful mural. J4A Leaders continued our work on Voting Rights restoration and met with the Secretary of State’s office. Lastly, we brought our partners together for an event in North MPLS focused on fun and supporting our family members who are incarcerated.
Together with C.E.O. (Change Equals Opportunity), Mad Dads, the Office of Black Male Student Achievement, we hosted a 3 on 3 stop-the-violence basketball tournament along with our J4A Community Member Meeting.… Continue reading »
We’ve been witnessing heartbreaking violence on the news lately. The discussion around race has taken over – at the water cooler, at our dinner tables, and in our door knocking conversations. At TakeAction, we believe that we need people from all races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, religions, etc. to hold elected office and to be part of the discussions for us to move conversations forward, and start making some real change. We know that only 5% of the 201 legislative seats being filled by people of color is not enough. We know that 33% of the 201 legislative seats being filled by women is not enough. And for offices smaller than that level, we don’t even track statistics.
We are ready for legislators and representatives who look like and can speak for our many, diverse communities, who’re willing to fight for racial and economic justice, and that’s why we are committed to endorsing BOLD progressive candidates. We are excited to share our newest endorsements that will be powerful voices for their communities, two leaders and women of color:
Representative Rena Moran
Rena is currently the only African-American woman in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She represents district 65A, one of the most diverse districts in the state.… Continue reading »
This is a statement we’ve put together as the TakeAction staff.
This week, this month, and this year have been incredibly painful and challenging for our country. All of us here at TakeAction are grieving and shaking with rage.
We witnessed yet another set of murders of black men at the hands of the police – Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile, a beloved father who worked with children in St. Paul Public Schools, in Falcon Heights. In that same week, four Latinos faced a similar fate. This needs to end.
In Dallas, many people joined together for a peaceful day of action and came to an abrupt stop when a lone gunman targeted 11 police officers, killing five. We mourn for the families of these officers. This is a tragedy – for all of us – and it is not a reflection of those who stand up to police misconduct. And, we can’t let it stop the conversation we’re having as a country on the rights of Black community and other people of color.
Here’s where we’re at as the TakeAction community, a historically white organization that now has a growing presence and leadership of people of color: As people of color at TakeAction, we fear for our lives and wellbeing, questioning whether or not we and our loved ones will be safe – while continuing to lead work in each of our own communities.… Continue reading »
Hi Friends!
My name is Abena Abraham, and I just recently joined the TakeAction Minnesota family, as the Elections Coordinator. In my role, I’m going to help lead our elections programs. I’m so excited to be joining the TAMN family because the values of the organization resonate with me and the issues and ideals I stand for. I am excited to build meaningful and lifelong relationships with our endorsed candidates, so that we have friends at the Capitol when we are pushing our progressive agenda.
This year, we are endorsing our candidates in a new way – directly with our allies. We are using the People’s Agenda as a guideline for how we endorse. The People’s Agenda outlines our 2017 legislative priorities, crafted together with our friends at SEIU, OutFront, MNA, EdMN, NOC and others. We are being intentional in making sure that we are centering the voices of Minnesotans in our decisions. We are not only endorsing these candidates and assisting them in winning, but we are making sure that our members are building relationships with them. Through these relationships we want to be able to push for bolder and more progressive legislation.
A few weeks ago, we joined with our People’s Agenda allies for a joint endorsement screening (see picture above).… Continue reading »
My name is Ben Whalen. I’m a white guy who grew up middle class from the suburbs. I’ve lived a fairly privilege life. For a long time, I was ignorant of the systemic injustices present in our justice system. I bought into the dominant narrative that only “bad guys” go to jail and get what they deserve for the crimes they committed. It wasn’t until I moved to the Twin Cities after college and got involved in advocacy and community organizing groups that I started to question that narrative. I now have multiple friends with criminal records who’ve told me about the challenges they face to find housing and jobs long after they’ve served their time. I’ve listened to the stories from my friends who are people of color about how police arrested them, beat them, and assumed they were criminals because they “fit the description.” I’ve had friends who were exercising their right to protest, advocating for police accountability, who’ve been met with similar treatment from the police. I’ve now read about and listened to experts on mass incarceration explain how it perpetuates systemic racism. After all of this, I cannot remain silent.
In college, I had the opportunity to visit South Africa and learn about its history and culture.… Continue reading »
Session is over, and for the past nine weeks, J4A Leaders set out to change who decides and who benefits. We put in hours of volunteer work, we told our stories boldly and came together in powerful and meaningful ways. We repeatedly proclaimed that we believe in a Minnesota where people have the power to make the decisions that affect our communities, our lives and our futures. Here is a sample of what we did together.
We Won Some Stuff: Shoulder to shoulder with allies, we supported a modest sentencing reform package that will reduce the prison population significantly over the next five years. We continued our fight for the restoration of voting rights and while it did not pass as a law, due to a variety of dynamic and strategic work done by allies, the bill did advance in the Senate for the 3rd time. Finally, we fought side by side with allies to prevent a privet prison from opening in Appleton MN and were successful.
We Built: This Session, J4A Leaders connected our work to Minnesotans across the state. We started out the year at Lino Lakes Prison building with our partners at Voices for Racial Justice and the brave men incarcerated at Lino Lakes Correctional Facility.… Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS (May 19, 2016) — At a press conference on the steps of Minneapolis City Hall this morning, faith leaders from throughout Minneapolis representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions urged the City Council to pass the earned sick and safe time ordinance currently under consideration.
“There is a moral crisis facing our city,” said Pastor Laurie Eaton of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. “The City Council has the opportunity to lead the way in improving the health of workers, businesses and our community overall by passing the strongest earned sick and safe time ordinance possible. We join together today as people of faith to encourage the Council to take that bold step.”
A 2015 study found that 42% of workers in Minneapolis lacked access to paid sick time. Over the past year, workers, small business owners and community leaders came forward and shared their experience of the need to pass a strong safe and sick time ordinance. Through the process, compromise was reached among the diverse membership of the Workplace Partnership Group, leading to nearly unanimous support of the group’s final recommendations.
“Many of those who have testified before the City Council and who have told their story publicly come from my community, the Somali community in Minneapolis,” said Hassan Jama of the Islamic Association of North America.… Continue reading »
Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis) hosts a town hall meeting with Reps. Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg), Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater), Abigail Whelan (R-Anoka), Matt Dean (R-Dellwood), and Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley) on realigning sentencing and the Appleton Prison. They will be joined by Justin Terrell from Justice 4 All and Jamil Jackson from TakeAction Minnesota.
The community discussion focused on the impacts of mass incarceration and the proposed reopening of Correction Corporation of America’s Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton.
Angela Davis said “If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you at night.” A reminder that none of us are safe from systems steeped in ideas of racial, gender and economic oppression. Not white folks, black folks, not other people of color, not men, women or transgender folks. Not poor or middle class, we all stand to lose from a crime and punishment system designed to protect the profits and property of the wealthy and divide and control the rest of us, so we better come together. The only way to create the change we seek is to build a statewide multiracial movement.
The Justice 4 All Program (J4A) has been working on building our part of the movement during the month of April.
We started things out at Saint Cloud State University. J4A Leaders led a powerful discussion on the impact of the Justice System, and students left ready to take this work to the streets. Much more to come in Saint Cloud.
Ana Lozano My understanding and interest in politics has been vague until this year. I never truly understood the power of my vote until I attended the DFL convention for district 60B as a delegate. My only motive for wanting to become a delegate was simply to have a better understanding of the process. That all changed when I heard Ilhan Omar speak at my caucus, I was automatically intrigued by her humble and genuine nature which is hard to find in today’s legislatures. I was also excited to have a representative that would understand the struggles of an immigrant family in the U.S.
My mother an asylee from El Salvador’s civil war will finally be receiving her U.S citizenship after 26 years in this country! We have struggled to find our voice and place in this country because with no representation for immigrant families our issues go unheard and unnoticed. I entered the DFL convention early Saturday bursting with excitement, energy and hope to finally elect a representative that understands the challenges that communities of color face.
The convention started slow but I remained hopeful. I grew more and more impatient in my seat. I started questioning the process, “why am I here” I thought to myself.… Continue reading »
We’re growing and changing at TakeAction, and we want to get you caught up! We have three great organizers who are taking on lead roles in our organization. We want you to get to know them and learn a little bit about the vision they have for their new roles.
Amanda Otero and Jessica English have been with TakeAction for sometime, and have recently taken on new roles. Cacje Henderson is brand new to the TAMN team. Keep reading to learn about them!
Amanda Otero, Deputy Organizing Director
I organize because I am pushed every day to live into the truth that I am enough. As a woman and as a light-skin Latina, I have been told time and again that I’m not enough, and because of this, I’ve lived a lot of my life out of a place of shame. Organizing has given me the opportunity to say ya basta, to affirm who I am, to develop a vision for myself.
As TakeAction’s Deputy Organizing Director, I am excited to work more closely with our organizers and leaders to model the kind of organizing we want to see in our state – one where we can take on bold changes, where dismantling structural oppression in our own lives and in our communities is a priority, where we know when to listen and follow the lead of people directly impacted by the issues we’re fighting against.… Continue reading »
Join neighbors, allies, and DFL- endorsed candidates Lindsey Port and Erin Maye- Quade for a Reclaim the South Metro Community Forum on Tuesday May 3rd, from 6:30pm- 8pm. This is a forum where we will discuss issues we want to see addressed throughout the election season and beyond with neighbors and future electeds!
REGISTER HERE.
Questions? Email elie@takeactionminnesota.org or call 612-559-0874.… Continue reading »
Join neighbors, activists, and DFL- endorsed candidate Lindsey Port for a Reclaim the South Metro phonebank on Thursday April 14th, from 6:00pm- 8:30pm. REGISTER HERE.
Questions? Email elie@takeactionminnesota.org or call 612-559-0874.… Continue reading »
James Badue is a member of the Justice 4 All Program at TakeAction Minnesota. He is helping to lead the fight to remove barriers to employment, housing and democracy for Minnesotans impacted by the Justice System. As J4A members gear up to take on new fights, James offers this powerful reflection on the announcement from Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman that there will be no indictment in the shooting of Jamar Clark.
As I sat at the table of Muddy Waters in South side MPLS with Tommy Franklin (Justice 4 All Organizer), Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s announcement played live on his laptop. The aggravation of knowing the results before he announced it sat in my chest as I recalled the murder of a friend of mine who was shot and killed by the police on his graduation day. Then Trayvon, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Eric Garner, and all the other unknown brothers and sisters who have been murdered by the police with no justice.
In this city, there is no justice, it is just “us”.
Having recently been freed from the walls of imprisonment in 2014, I, like many of us, know what being held accountable for our actions means.… Continue reading »
My name is Nicole Riegert. I am a nineteen-year-old student at the University of Minnesota and have recently started as an intern for the political team here at TakeAction MN. As a college student, I spend much of my time evaluating what is important to me and envisioning my future. My opportunities to build a life I find personally meaningful and positively impactful within my community can be limited or enriched by individuals who hold power. It is important to me that the officials making decisions that will influence my life and the lives of others in my community share our bold, progressive values. This November, I want to elect leaders who will challenge the status quo to ensure our voices are represented.
Thus, I ran to be a delegate to the Senate District Convention this April and support the candidates endorsed by TakeAction. At the convention, delegates elected on March 1st present issues, debate, and choose House and Senate candidates for their party. To better understand the process, I sat down with Mary and Quinn. Mary, who has been elected a delegate to the State Convention, tells us why being a delegate matters to her. See her video here.… Continue reading »
It’s a BIG election year. We’ve got the presidential elections taking over every headline in the major news outlet across the country. Countless rallies and speeches are happening in every state during their local caucuses and conventions. Inthe midst of all this BIG campaigning, it’s easy to lose sight of the races that are happening now in our own neighborhoods, right here.
These are people who will make decisions that impact us each and every day. People who come from our communities, who are most accountable to us, their constituents. We’ve endorsed candidates in targeted local races who are ready to fight to arm in arm with us to create a Minnesota where everyone can thrive. To make sure our endorsed candidates make it to the Capitol, we have the goal of raising $1,000 per candidate in April.
Today I want to introduce you to Ruben Vazquez, who’s running for State Representative in 41A , and Mary Kunesh-Podein, who’s running for State Representative in 41B, TWO candidates who will co-govern with us, and who will not only change the face of the Capitol but are also ready to make a huge impact.… Continue reading »
HD41B (if needed): Mary Kunesh Podein, Rachel Nelson
Candidates for the House have announced they will defer to Reps. Bernardy and Laine, who will each run again for their House seat, should they not win the Senate seat endorsement.
The goal of TakeAction Minnesota’s political program is to build the political power required to advance a bold agenda shared by our individual and organizational members and grounded in our progressive vision for Minnesota.
We see issues, elections, and community organizing as three legs of the same stool. We recognize we are most powerful when we work in coalition with others. We reject the false choice between winning elections or standing up for what we believe. We can and do pursue both of these objectives simultaneously. For us, political power is not a separate silo, but rather an integrated part of all of our work.
✓ Will this candidate be a bold leader on our progressive vision for Minnesota? Does their life experience illustrate bold leadership on our vision?
✓ Does this candidate have a plan to build power by organizing people and organizing money?
✓ Is this candidate willing to co-govern with the progressive movement to implement our shared vision?
✓ Would you (a TakeAction Minnesota leader) be excited about supporting this candidate with your time and money?… Continue reading »
community, to come together to heal from this tragedy. I want us to form deeper connections with each other so that we may be able to better understand each other and in turn, better see each other’s full humanity.
! My last day was on August 16th. I hail from New Mexico and was connected to TakeAction through Carleton College alumni who are staff at TakeAction. The best part of my elections internship this summer was participating in what the Trekker Door Knocks. My favorite door knock was the one I did on behalf of Erin Maye Quade, who is running to represent the Apple Valley region in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Although the entire experience was incredibly fun, I want to highlight the moments that made the door knock both fun and powerful for me.
ONE
We don’t have a Justice System, we have a crime and punishment system. One that protects the profits and property of the wealthy, and divides and controls the rest of us. If we do nothing, this system, steeped in racism, sexism, and built to enhance corporate power, will continue to target and dismantle our families. All over the country, people are standing up and demanding justice. Here is what the Justice 4 All program has been up to this month, and what we have coming up.
as the Elections Coordinator. In my role, I’m going to help lead our elections programs. I’m so excited to be joining the TAMN family because the values of the organization resonate with me and the issues and ideals I stand for. I am excited to build meaningful and lifelong relationships with our endorsed candidates, so that we have friends at the Capitol when we are pushing our progressive agenda.
h-Podein, who’s running for State Representative in 41B, TWO candidates who will co-govern with us, and who will not only change the face of the Capitol but are also ready to make a huge impact.… 
