“In Minnesota, there had not been an influential, organized message coming from the African American community in quite some time. Then, this group of African American leaders developed research-based information to present to legislators. It has changed the game,” said Chris Stewart, former Minneapolis school board member. This powerful voice comes from the Twin Cities African American Leadership Forum (AALF), which has mobilized leaders in law, government, business, education, religion and the arts. This unified group is creating a common agenda for launching bold policy initiatives to create social and economic well-being within its community. Their movement may be a model for others confronting poverty, access and opportunity.“The African American Leadership Forum has been like a river with many streams coming together,” said Gary Cunningham, vice president of programs and chief program officer at Northwest Area Foundation, a founding member. “I see people working together in ways that never would have happened before.”AALF is building on the momentum of the many African Americans who’ve risen to prominent positions in the middle class within the past generation. Experienced and emerging leaders across all sectors, who previously had not talked to one another, are now deeply engaged in dialogue. “There’s been a breach between the middle- and upper-income African Americans and the lower-income groups. We need to repair that,” added Cunningham.Convening several times a year, they’re developing a synergy and understanding of community-based solutions.“People who’ve never met are now working together – people in their 20s and people in their 70s. New networks are being formed. We’ve discussed some testy issues in a civil and loving way. Many have transcended old disagreements,” said Yvonne Cheek, lead consultant for AALF. “They are building efforts to improve the economic trajectory of all African Americans.” What started out in 2008 as just a few committed people has flourished into an independent group of more than 350 prominent and emerging leaders. They have formed work groups to focus on four different policy areas:•Education and Lifelong Learning •Family Culture and Spirituality•Economic Development•Health and WellnessThe impact within the Twin Cities is palpable. African Americans are serving on more boards of directors, they’re volunteering and they’re engaging in high-level policy discussions, according to Cheek. So significant has been the group’s reach that similar African American Leadership Forums are now underway in Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Wash.; and Des Moines, Iowa. “We now have the ability to advocate for ourselves and to affect change. There is respect for our work,” added Stewart.
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The African American Leadership Forum is a movement for African Americans in the Twin Cities who are deeply concerned about and passionately committed to improving their community by identifying, leveraging and advocating for solutions that address the issues, challenges and opportunities faced as a community. Funding partners include the Grotto Foundation, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, the Minneapolis Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation and the Saint Paul Foundation.To learn more about how to get involved in this growing movement, contact: David Nicholson at 612-879-0602 x11, david@headwatersfoundation.org.
