“Toward a better patriotism” Dane Smith, a Growth & Justice senior fellow and co-editor of the Minnesota Equity Blueprint, wrote an op-ed for the Star Tribune titled “Toward a better patriotism.” He discusses the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the statue removal of figures like Christopher Columbus, and the country-wide efforts to confront systemic racism-- all within the context of recent annive... Read More
Racial Health Disparities Demand Action… Racial health disparities demand renewed attention from policy-makers as Minnesota struggles to dismantle systemic and institutional racism. A recent report from the African American Leadership Forum provides context and strategic framing that deserve careful consideration. The AALF report identifies seven “basic pillars of support” for erasing disparities: increase knowledg... Read More
Our MinnPost Op-Ed Points Way to Equitable Recovery Our latest commentary, published this week in MinnPost, describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the disparities and inequalities we’ve been warning Minnesota about in recent years. The op-ed, headlined “Equity is Rising as an Imperative for Minnesota’s Recovery’’ summarized dozens of major news stories that reveal how racial and re... Read More
Give At Home MN for Growth & Justice, Please! Special message from Growth & Justice President Jane Leonard: “We urgently need your financial support this week. As a part of the Covid-19 #GiveAtHomeMN fundraising campaign for non-profits and schools, we’ve created a special fundraiser page for Growth & Justice, at https://www.givemn.org/story/Equityblueprint and I’ve kicked off the ... Read More
Tracking Pandemic’s Inequitable Impact in Minnesota Minnesota Compass, a highly respected source that tracks socio-economic conditions in Minnesota, has created a special page on its website for data on pandemic impact. Compass’s data points reinforce mounting evidence of a strongly disparate impact on communities of color and low-income families, and the website makes a point that Growth & Justice h... Read More