Cohort 3 (2020-2021)

STRIVE PUBLISHING

With a background in education, Mary Taris created Strive Publishing a few years ago to get more children’s books published that are about Black people and by Black authors, and to get more Black people working in the publishing industry overall.

Mary plans to use her time in the fellowship to develop her idea for a Black literary arts center for the North Minneapolis community where the Black narrative is valued and Black voices are empowered to create, educate, break down stereotypes, and work collaboratively toward systemic change.

NINIIJAANIS ONE OF ONES

Brook is working to address early childhood disparities for American Indian children. Through Niniijaanis One of Ones, Brook hopes to create an Indigenous artist and educators collective to provide culturally-relevant learning materials and curriculum for American Indian children.

HOMALIE

A recent graduate of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Temi believes that everyone deserves decent, stable housing and that racist and inequitable housing policies have caused housing disparities for many communities.

Temi hopes to address housing inequalities by utilizing the entertainment industry to bring housing revitalization and increase home ownership in marginalized communities.

STRONG MEDICINE

Dane Verret understands that civic and public sector leaders urgently need skills to be able to address the institutionalized oppression in government and non-profit foundations in order to transform these systems. This is why he is working on creating a learning institute focused on sustainable development and social justice-centered education, rooted in the knowledge of Black and Indigenous people.

ARTWELL

Combining her background in mental health and the arts, Michelle saw the need for high schools to provide mental health education and is now working to create a curriculum development company that teaches mental health skills and knowledge through studio arts.

VF HEALTH FITNESS SOLUTIONS

After hearing appalling statistics about the health disparities faced by Black people in North Minneapolis, Valerie left her corporate career and became a certified fitness instructor and lifestyle coach. Valerie aims to create an inclusive health and wellness center in North Minneapolis with culturally-relevant programming for fitness and nutrition, all with a focus on a wellness culture shift.

BLUE COLLAR SUPPER CLUB

Julian Korger is rethinking the hospitality industry. As the founder of Blue Collar Supper Club, whose mission is to curate one-of-a-kind dining experiences that build queer community, Julian aims to use the fellowship to develop a model for an intersectional space that will continue to foster authentic queer community through food and beverage.

REVIVING ROOTS THERAPY & WELLNESS

To Marlee, therapy is a form of activism. As a therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, understanding systemic oppression and abuse as trauma is key as she works to reduce health disparities linked to the impact of this trauma in the Black community.

Marlee will use the fellowship to further this work as she develops a social enterprise focused on providing accessible mental health services, training, and education/awareness.

THE ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN MINNESOTAN FILM COLLECTIVE

As a woman of color filmmaker herself, Naomi knows there is a severe lack of WOC-driven film and TV representation on and off camera, which leads to a lack of empowerment as women of color don’t see themselves or their stories represented on-screen.

Naomi co-founded The APIAMN Film Collective whose mission is to create, promote, and empower underrepresented and low-income filmmakers in MN, and she will use her time in the fellowship to develop a social enterprise that connects women of color filmmakers to investors, studio executives, and producers.