A cohort of Black community groups, leaders and allies gathered at the Minneapolis State Capitol in early April to announce the creation and release of the United Black Legislative Agenda, an ambitious program created by and for Black communities throughout the state. The agenda addresses issues of economic justice, criminal justice, and Black immigrant justice, and is a result of a collaborative effort and a growing movement for Black liberation in Minnesota.

Black community groups—led by Center for Popular Democracy partner Neighborhoods Organizing for Change—co-developed the agenda with partners throughout the state, including: Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Urban League, African American Leadership Forum, the Somali Community of Minnesota, and the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage.

The agenda expands on the $100 million that Governor Mark Dayton pledged to address issues of racial disparity in Minnesota in light of the $1 billion state surplus. The governor’s commitment came after a powerful community response to the killing of Jamar Clark by police in Minneapolis, which culminated in a month-long community occupation of a local Minneapolis police precinct. The governor's response also comes with recent evidence showing that despite economic growth for every other demographic group, Black Minnesotans are suffering from a drop in medium income and wealth. 

The agenda includes the creation of a $75 million business capital fund, run by a community-based board of directors, which would allocate funds to African and African-American businesses. Additionally, the agenda includes funding for summer job programs, job training, and youth development for Somali communities throughout the state. Legislative components of the agenda include the passage of the Working Parents Act, which guarantees scheduling protections for workers; the end of Grand Jury proceedings for police involved criminal proceedings; a ban on private prisons; restoration of voting rights for those denied the right to vote due to criminal convictions; and penalty increases for hate crimes related to Islamophobic attacks.

According to local news sources, the press conference announcing the agenda had the highest turnout of Black Americans at the State Capitol in recent times. Additionally, this is the first time that so many Black civil rights groups have come together under a single united front to create and now advocate for a shared agenda. Following the press conference announcement, over a dozen legislators joined in a fishbowl discussion about legislative priorities.

“We are at a pivotal moment in this state,” said Anthony Newby, Executive Director of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. “With some of the largest racial disparities in the country, and in a movement when Black people from communities across the state are demanding not only equal treatment, but equal opportunity and investment.”

NOC’s work is an inspiring example of how communities are turning the grief of police violence and the horrors of economic deprivation into legislative vision and political power. NOC, with local and state partners, will work throughout this session and the next to realize the agenda and continue to build political power and opportunity.