Legacy Listening Tour
The Council on Black Minnesotans in collaboration with the Minnesota Humanities Center will conduct approximately six statewide community forums.
Councils of Color. $500,000 the first year and $500,000 the second year are for competitive grants to the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, the Council on Black Minnesotans, the Indian Affairs Council, and the Chicano Latino Affairs Council. Grants are for programs and cooperation between the Minnesota Humanities Center and the grant recipients for community events and programs that celebrate and preserve artistic, historical, and cultural heritage.
1. The COBM will demonstrate its ability to engage and collect cultural knowledge regarding Africans and African Americans to be used to achieve equity in services and programs in the areas of education, juvenile justice, and mental health care by 2013.
• Five community forums held across Minnesota – Minneapolis, Saint Cloud, Duluth, Fairbault, Rochester – were attended by over 350 people.
• Issues of concern were identified in each community which will allow the Council to better advise the governor and legislature on the nature of the issues confronting Black people in Minnesota.
• Increased knowledge of the Council on Black Minnesotans (65% of Legacy Listening Tour attendees were making their first direct contact with the Council).
• The Council identified Black artists and groups in the different communities to connect so to advise the Council on their needs.
• A full report was developed on concerns and is available on the council web site at http://mn.gov/cobm/.