African American Leadership Forum
Report date
September 2021
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
We began the year 2020 with plans to create a Buy the Block Fund. Our goal for this work was to “make African American economic development central to the Twin Cities agenda and facilitate a local paradigm shift.' We participated in the Boston Impact Initiative, met other market leaders, shared strategies, created a Collective Impact work stream and a pitch deck. At the time, we believed AALF would be the one managing this fund. All of these steps were extremely valuable in making progress toward building a break-through Self-Determination model of wealth creation for African Americans in the Twin Cities that grows exponentially, and results in improved financial literacy, increased homeownership, and vibrant community and business development. These activities laid the groundwork for further community-led innovation by helping AALF develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills to respond quickly and effectively to the devastating crises of 2020.
At the beginning of 2020, we believed AALF would be the one managing the Buy the Block fund. Then COVID-19 hit in spring and George Floyd was murdered in the summer. These crises thrust AALF into the role of intermediary as our community looked to us to ensure the stability of Black-led and -serving organizations that were responding directly to the most urgent needs of our community. We were able to distribute $2 million, including from the Bush Foundation to the Black Business Support Collective (BBSC). As resources poured into our community, we paused to think about who the stakeholders would be and what AALF’s role should be. It became clear to us that there were other organizations better positioned to manage the fund, and that the best use of AALF’s network and leadership was as intermediary and facilitator for the Black community. This led to a new innovation: the creation of our ambitious Alliance of Alliances — an comprehensive, community-led solution to close the racial equity in Minnesota once and for all by 2030. Rather than manage a fund, AALF is focusing on the facilitation of both investments into the community and increased collaboration among aligned organizations.
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Key lessons learned
The key lesson we learned was a clarification of AALF's role in the community as an intermediary and facilitator of resources and collaborations to address racial inequities in the Twin Cities region in a new and transformational way. Once we embraced this role, we were able to more fully realize our vision of a wholistic, innovative community-led solution to closing the racial equity gap in Minnesota. Our Buy the Block work was absorbed into a new, more comprehensive solution: The Alliance of Alliances.
This Alliance uses the Black-Centered Design approach developed by AALF, which ensures that solutions for the Black community are created by the Black community. This approach stands in stark contrast to previous efforts to close Minnesota's deep and wide racial equity gap — efforts that have failed largely because they did not center Black perspectives and experience. The Alliance approach also stands apart from previous efforts in its comprehensiveness.
This Alliance uses the Black-Centered Design approach developed by AALF, which ensures that solutions for the Black community are created by the Black community. This approach stands in stark contrast to previous efforts to close Minnesota's deep and wide racial equity gap — efforts that have failed largely because they did not center Black perspectives and experience. The Alliance approach also stands apart from previous efforts in its comprehensiveness.
Nothing about 2020 went as planned, but we do not see that as a failure. The seeds of our Alliance of Alliances initiative were planted in July 2020 when leaders met co-create a vision for what a more equitable region would look like in 2030. These leaders created a two-page document outlining a 10-year vision and eight work areas essential to achieving that vision. AALF took time to re-evaluate the best way to use the knowledge gained through our Buy the Block activities. We decided to shift our focus to engage and support those in our community who are in the best position to mange the receipt and distribution of funds. This shift created space for AALF to broaden our focus and further develop our innovative Black-Centered Design (BCD) approach. We are now expanding the current AALF structure to develop processes and methods to bring Community and Systems together to solve problems using BCD in the 8 work areas of 1) public safety, 2) shared responsibility, 3) infrastructure investments, 4) employment, 5) education, 6) healthcare, 7) housing and 8) advocacy.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
All three elements have been crucial to making progress, but as a network organization, we believe being collaborative is the most important. Our collaboration with the Boston Impact Initiative gave us a deep understanding of possible ways to address the racial wealth gap in Minnesota. Our collaboration with the Black Business Support Collective (BBSC) helped us understand the urgent needs of our community and the community-led organizations responding to those needs so we could support them. Our collaborations with Black professional fraternity Omicron Boule, the Itasca Project, GREATER MSP, Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP), and the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity (MBCRE) allowed us to create the Alliance of Alliance to generate and implement solutions to advance equitable outcomes for Black Minnesotans, and to shift our region from region from a focus on managing disparities to investing in equity as a strategy to drive growth and innovation over the next 10 years.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
In addition to inclusivity, resourcefulness and collaboration, two key elements have contributed to our progress: intentionality and relationships. Having strong, trusting relationships makes effective collaboration possible. In addition, the crises of 2020 sharpened our focus and pushed us to clarify our role and how best to serve our community. We now have a heightened appreciation for how important it is to pause — especially during times of crisis — and make sure we are taking actions and creating solutions that will lead us to the outcomes we seek. To achieve our mission and our ultimate vision of eliminating the racial equity gap, we must be intentional about each step we are taking. We must address trauma and make space for healing. We must invest in leaders. We must stay connected to each other and to our purpose.
Understanding the problem
One of the challenges we grappled with was the overall need for investment. Eventually, we woke up to the realization that the gaps that needed to be filled were bigger than what we could accomplish with a Buy the Block type of investment fund. While an investment fund certainly would have a positive impact, to truly achieve the change we are seeking we needed to change the ecosystem. Rather than manage a fund, AALF needed to identify the need, determine how best to get resources could to the community, and prepare leaders for this work. Our work confirmed that our approach to community-led solutions and opened our eyes to the enormity of what we want to do. We are now focused on identifying who is in the ecosystem, getting money into the ecosystem, and preparing and supporting leaders who are accustomed to operating in scarcity with resources and technical assistance so that by working together we can accelerate change over the next 10 years, thereby changing the trajectory of our community for decades to come.
If you could do it all over again...
If we could go back to the start of the grant period, we would give ourselves this advice: 'You don't have to be the one who builds it.' We started from the premise that no one was doing this work, so it was up to AALF to do it. What we have learned is that it is our job to build the frame, to be a catalyst, to facilitate change. Or, to use another metaphor: We are the map-makers. We can identify the need for a road that will make traffic flow better. We can set the parameters — e.g. to be effective, the road should have four-lanes with dividers and exit points at these locations. Once we have mapped the road and set the parameters, we should then identify the right people to build the road and maintain it — those with the know-how, interest and infrastructure to build the road. We can support them in their work, but the work is theirs to do. That said, the knowledge and experienced we gained in the first year of this grant has been invaluable, and we are energized by what we have learned and the clarity we have as we continue to implement community-led solutions.
One last thought
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