Celebrating HOW we won

Posted November 11, 2013

Last Friday, at our Annual Leadership Awards Celebration, we celebrated the concrete change we have all won that makes our lives and the lives of our loved ones – and our whole state better.

But last Friday wasn’t only a celebration of what we won, it was a celebration of how we won.  Look around you, and you will see a new grassroots movement that has taken hold of our state.

Who was in the room on Friday?

Elected officials like Governor Mark Dayton, Speaker Paul Thissen, and members of the Minnesota House and Senate who acted to make our cities, our state, our nation more equitable.

Minnesotans who organized people in the streets, in government, or online. And the people who love and support someone who works so hard to make the world a better place.

Because of what we all won this spring, the future of our children is brighter, our unions are stronger, and love is the law.

The conventional wisdom used to be, that only what happened inside the state Capitol mattered.  If you weren’t there, then you should just wait to hear what was decided.

But this year – unlike any in recent memory –people all across Minnesota led with their own talent and creativity and changed the status quo.… Continue reading »

Target Joins the Conversation

Posted October 28, 2013

Last week, more than 400 people packed the Capri Theater on the northside of Minneapolis and others watched online in Duluth, Grand Rapids, Virginia, Rochester, Mankato, and beyond.

Why?

To be part of a conversation with Target Corporation about closing our worst-in-the-nation racial jobs gap, and to be there as they made a commitment to be part of the solution.

For more than two years, every day Minnesotans with criminal histories have been asking Target to be a leader in closing our worst-in-the-nation racial jobs gap. People like you made phone calls, stood in Target’s lobby, travelled to Denver for their shareholder meeting, filed complaints with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, and more.

And last Thursday night, they joined the conversation and took some serious steps forward. What did that look like?

At the meeting, Target leadership went on the record and committed to continuing a public discussion, funding a free legal clinic on the north side for people with criminal histories, and supporting hiring practices that remove barriers to employment. In a major step forward, they announced that they’ll be adopting “Ban the Box” (a policy that removes questions about criminal histories from employment applications) for all of their applications nationwide.… Continue reading »

Targeting the Racial Jobs Gap

Posted October 16, 2013

Minnesota is home to more Fortune 500 companies per capita than 48 other states. Our current count is 19 and they play a significant role in our states economy. But for the the random brotha on the block, our state could be home to all 500 companies and it wouldn’t make a difference. The reality is, those 19 companies are not concerned with him and he ain’t concerned about them.

Here is why, African Americans have an unemployment rate of 27%, versus 5.9% for white folks. So, the presence of those 19 companies is not creating jobs in communities like North Minneapolis. Oh, and did I mention that we (African Americans) only make up 5% of the state’s population but 35% of the state’s prison population? This leads to a higher rate of criminal histories in our community and this is a serious barrier to employment. The conversation around employment ends before it is given a chance to start.

So, how does this translate?

On Broadway and Emerson Avenue, the conversation sounds like this: “I got a felony, ain’t no one trying to hire me.” On Dr. Martin Luther King Drive(AKA the State Capital),  it sounds like: “I voted for Ban the Box, isn’t that enough?”… Continue reading »