Minority Owned Rural Firms & the Pandemic The Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, the Housing Assistance Council, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and Rural LISC have come together to create virtual Rural Opportunity and Development Sessions, or ROAD Sessions. The first session, "Open for Business: Working with Minority-Owned Rural Firms through the Pandemic" this week featured entrepreneurs from Native, Latinx and Black r... Read More
A hurdle for economic revival The New York Times published a feature on the child care crisis emerging out of the pandemic-induced economic collapse, using New York City as an example of how reopening plans and conflicts with child care in the fall could present a huge barrier to rebuilding the economy. The article broaches the concern that the country doesn’t have a “serious solution” for a child care crisis. &l... Read More
“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