OVERVIEW URBAN LEAGUE TWIN CITIES FORMERLY MINNEAPOLIS URBAN
OVERVIEW: URBAN LEAGUE TWIN CITIES (FORMERLY MINNEAPOLIS URBAN LEAGUE) STEVEN BELTON, JD PRESIDENT AND CEO, URBAN LEAGUE TWIN CITIES
NAME CHANGE • Minneapolis Urban League offically became Urban League Twin Cities in December 2019 • Bylaws amended by Board of Directors in June and Articles of Incorporation amended by MUL Membership in September 2019 • Articles of Incorporation for ULTC filed with Minnesota Secretary of State in October 2019
WHY CHANGE OF NAME? • St. Paul Urban League went out of business in 2013. About 22% of Minneapolis Urban League’s client were from the east metro by 2018 • African Descendants are represented throughout the 7 -county metro area, as many as 280, 000 in the four largest counties combined • If all African Descendants populated a single city, we would be third largest in Minnesota, right behind St. Paul and larger than Duluth, Bloomington or Rochester • African Descendants must have platform for metro advocacy
WHAT DOES IT MEAN • Expanded footprint for service and advocacy encompassing the entire metro area • Expanded Board representation from East metro and other parts of metro • Continued program focus on Workforce Development, Housing, Financial Literacy and Capabilities, College Readiness and Health • Advocacy and civic engagement around the social determinants of health and other issues of critical importance to African descendants • Active solicitation and engagement of new partners from the east metro and west metro suburbs
WHAT IT DOES NOT MEAN • HQ remains in north Minneapolis; not selling building • No immediate plans for brick and mortar in St. Paul; St. Paul office will follow dedicated St. Paul program funding •
ULTC 2020 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES • Affordable Housing—equitable and targeted funding for Black neighborhoods, housing developers, builders, advocates and service providers • Funding for Community-based Crime Prevention and Intervention (Safe Streets Legislation) • Policing Reform • Crown Act to prohibit Discrimination on the basis of natural hair style
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