Alliance for Metropolitan Stability http://www.metrostability.org/ The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability is a coalition of grassroots organizations that advances racial, economic and environmental justice in growth and development patterns in the Twin Cities region. en Roundtable Resources: Organizer Roundtable: Overcoming Historical Disinvestment http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/February_Organizer_Roundtable_-_Overcoming_Historical_Disinvestment_(final).pdf Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:29:45 -0600 Kevin Martineau, Theresa Gardella, Malik Holt-Shabazz and Elena Gaarder were featured presenters at the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability's Organizer Roundtable: Overcoming Historic Disinvestment on Wednesday, February 15. These presenters represented communities around the Twin Cities metro area who are working to surmount a history of disinvestment that has most often been brought about ...

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]]> News: Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota's Black Middle Class is Shrinking http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Minnesota_Public_Radio__Minnesota_s_Black_Middle_Class_is_Shrinking Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:54:15 -0600 According to state demographer Tom Gillaspy, Minnesota has lost about a 25 percent of its moderate-income black households between 2006 and 2010. This is not attributed to blacks leaving the state but racial disparities in employment, which has kept blacks unemployed at a rate more than 3 times of their white counterparts.

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]]> News: The Link: Meet Hindia Ali and More http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__Meet_Hindia_Ali_and_More Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:32:12 -0600 Our latest edition of the link features an organizer profile of Hindia Ali, a video from our latest Organizer Roundtable: Organizing for Equity and more.

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]]> News: Desegregation is Not the Main Issue http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Desegregation_is_Not_the_Issue Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:32:27 -0600 In a recent report from the conservative market-oriented think tank the Manhattan Institute, research fellows Edward Glaeser and Jacob Vigdor celebrate the progress we have made in desegregating our American society. Although this is partly true, desegregation is not the real issue of our time.

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]]> News: Organizer Profile: Hindia Ali http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Organizer_Roundtable__Hindia_Ali Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:10:38 -0600 Discover how this organizer is motivated by stories to build power in the Somali community.

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]]> Event: Reception with Angela Glover Blackwell https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/322/mtglist.asp?formid=event&timestamp=1327963615 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:46:55 -0600 Join us for a reception with Angela Glover Blackwell at the McKnight Foundation on Friday, February 10.

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]]> News: Video: EquityNow TC http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Video__EquityNow_TC Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:46:28 -0600 Be sure to check out this new video that tells the story of EquityNow TC, which the Alliance is a part of, our work around PolicyLink's Equity Summit and our aspirations moving forward.

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]]> News: The Link: How to Be a Racial Justice Hero and More http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__How_to_Be_a_Racial_Justice_Hero_and_More Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:35:32 -0600 Check out the latest edition of the Link, which includes simple ways we can all step up our game to see racial justice realized!

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]]> News: Metropolitan Council’s 2012 State of the Region address http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Metropolitan_Council_s_2012_State_of_the_Region_address Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:29:58 -0600 "Transit holds the key to a successful and prosperous region."

This was the overarching theme of Met Council Chair Sue Haigh's State of the Region address last Wednesday. Several hundred people attended this event where Commissioner Haigh laid out the Met Council's plans for the year, highlighting a strong commitment to developing a sustainable region where transit connects to economic development, job creation and affordable housing.

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]]> News: I want to ride my bicycle…in Minneapolis http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=I_want_to_ride_my_bicycle_in_Minneapolis Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:29:07 -0600 The City of Minneapolis recently released a report which highlights the progress the city has made in making it a better place for bicyclists. Much of the success comes as a result of organizing work done by organizations such as the Sierra Club's North Star Chapter, which has not only been the driver of the progress but has also advocated for bike infrastructure and accessibility in underserved communities.

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]]> News: Place and Race Matter http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Place_and_Race_Matter Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:28:27 -0600 Economic opportunity, the physical environment, social connections and health are all factors that make up the community in which people live. Neeraj Mehta of Nexus Community Partners writes about the significant role race plays in creating places that offer unequal opportunities to their residents.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Organizer Roundtable: Organizing for Equity - Sharing Lessons from PolicyLink's Equity Summit http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Jan2012_Organizer_Roundtable_-_Organizing_for_Equity.pdf Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:06:10 -0600 Last Wednesday the Alliance for Metropolitan gathered over 40 organizers from around the region for our first Organizer Roundtable of 2012: Organizing for Equity – Sharing Lesson's from PolicyLink's Equity Summit. Members of the Minnesota Delegation, Hashi Shafi, Nancy Pomplun, Joan Pasiuk and Neeraj Mehta, shared their experiences and what their learnings mean for their wo...

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]]> News: Downtown Journal: The People’s Stadium, but what’s in it for the people? http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Downtown_Journal__The_People_s_Stadium__but_what_s_in_it_for_the_people__ Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:39:03 -0600 With it looking more and more likely that the Vikings Stadium will stay in Minneapolis, it's time for City officials to recognize that this development cannot be separated from reducing disparities in Minneapolis. As recently mentioned in a commentary on the Downtown Council vision in the Star Tribune, we need an integrated approach to tackling disparities in our region! Check out HIRE Minnesota's commentary in the Downtown Journal on the Vikings Stadium proposals.

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]]> News: Funders Collaborative: Stops for Us coalition celebrates and shares EPA Award http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Funder_s_Collaborative__Stops_for_Us_coalition_celebrates_and_shares_EPA_Award Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:10:32 -0600 On December 11, 2011, Lisa Garcia, Senior Advisor on Environmental Justice to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Jackson, presented the Stops for Us coalition with a National Achievements in Environmental Justice award. This award highlighted the significance of the coalition's success in securing light rail stations at Western Avenue, Victoria Street, and Hamline Avenue to provide equitable transit service to those who needed it the most.

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]]> News: The Link: Job Equity in the Twin Cities http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__Job_Equity_in_the_Twin_Cities Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:10:09 -0600 Check out the latest edition of the Link: Job Equity in the Twin Cities and More!

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]]> News: Organizer Profile: Meet Melissa Rudnick http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Organizer_Profile__Meet_Melissa_Rudnick_ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:42:37 -0600 Discover how this organizer is using the history of her people to create social justice in the world.

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]]> News: Finance and Commerce: Does a bike route make sense for busy Snelling Avenue? http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Finance_and_Commerce__Does_a_bike_route_make_sense_for_busy_Snelling_Ave_ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:26:58 -0600

As MnDOT prepares to resurface Snelling Avenue early this spring, it has an opportunity to put transit equity at the center of its work. Will MnDOT add bike lanes to the road, making it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians alike? Or will it maintain the status quo and cut off alternative transportation options for the people who desperately need them?

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Downtown 2025 plan must include job equity http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Downtown_2025_plan_must_include_job_equity Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:09:08 -0600 Check out HIRE's commentary in the Star Tribune about the Minneapolis Downtown Council's plan. Development in our region must include job equity in order to reduce disparities!

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]]> News: Stops for Us Coalition Celebrates National Achievements in Environmental Justice http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Stops_for_Us_Coalition_Celebrates_National_Achievements_in_Environmental_Justice_ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:48:31 -0600 More than 100 people gathered at Gordon Parks High School on Sunday to celebrate the proclamation, and the Stops for Us coalition's 2010 National Achievement in Environmental Justice Award. This award, presented by Environmental Protection Agency Senior Advisor Lisa Garcia, recognizes the coalition's work to secure three missing Central Corridor LRT stops at Western Avenue, Victoria Street and Hamline Avenue to serve the environmental justice communities of east University Avenue.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Organizer Roundtable: Taking Care of Business http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Organizer_Roundtable_Taking_Care_of_Business.pdf Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:42:26 -0600 As the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) is being developed on University Ave, many businesses, organizations, and community groups have had their worlds disrupted. Although project staff communicated beforehand the effect that the construction would have on these entities, the reality of the construction season turned out to be more than any of them anticipated. What is clear is that bu...

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]]> News: Twin Cities Daily Planet: Would Newt Gingrich's Idea about Poor Kids Work? http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet__Would_Newt_Gingrich_s_Idea_about_Poor_Kids_Work_ Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:04:18 -0600 Founder of HIRE Minnesota Louis King has a different approach to learning work ethic than presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Whereas Gingrich suggests that child labor laws need to be weakened so that poor, inner-city children can be put to work in schools, King says that it is not the kids who need access to jobs, but their parents.

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]]> Featured Resources: Stops for Us: Organizing for Equity Along the Central Corridor http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/stopsforus_final.pdf Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:59:48 -0600 When the Central Corridor light rail begins its service connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2014, it will carry more than the thousands of riders who will use it daily. The line will also carry with it a powerful story about how engaged residents and community-based organizations can, and must play a central role in the planning and development of major infrastructure investments....

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]]> News: Transit for Livable Communities: PolicyLink's Equity Summit 2011 http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Transit_for_Livable_Communities__PolicyLink_s_Equity_Summit_2011 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:24:06 -0600 It's been a month since PolicyLink's Equity Summit 2011, and conversations about the event are still going strong! Owen Duckworth, a member of the Minnesota Equity Summit Delegation and board chair for the Alliance, shares his reflections on the summit and what equity means for our region going forward.

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]]> News: Taking Care of Business http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Taking_Care_of_Business Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:11:11 -0600 Over 30 people gathered last week for the Alliance's Organizer Roundtable: Taking Care of Business to discuss how business and community leaders along University Ave have organized to survive during the Central Corridor LRT construction.

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]]> News: Reflections on Equity as the Superior Growth Model http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Reflections_on_Equity_as_the_Superior_Growth_Model Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:10:09 -0600 PolicyLink recently released a report that challenges the nation to invest in our collective futures. America's Tomorrow: Equity is the Superior Growth Model suggests that for our nation's economy to grow, we must rebuild our public infrastructure, grow new businesses and jobs, and prepare the workers of tomorrow for the jobs of tomorrow. But what are the nation's top leaders in equity saying? Can such suggestions truly spark the economic stimulation that the country so desperately needs?

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]]> News: Meet Malik Holt-Shabazz http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Meet_Malik_Holt_Shabazz Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:09:10 -0600 Discover how the Undoing Racism framework is enhancing this organizer's capacity to change his community!

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]]> News: St. Paul Unearths Surprise $3 Million http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=St__Paul_Unearths_Surprise__3_Million Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:30:05 -0600 In economic times like these, where we are pinching every penny we have, it seems next to impossible to believe that anyone could overlook an extra hundred dollars. Yet, in an attempt to keep from cutting services, the city of St. Paul recently found a surprise $3.1 million dollars. How to spend this money, which at one time been allocated to community development projects in the city, has become a hot topic.

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]]> Featured Resources: Telling a New Story about Disparities http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Telling_a_New_Story_about_Disparities.pdf Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:22:08 -0600 "How do we widen the messaging frame so that we are inclusive, without making it so wide that there is no focus?"Traditionally, we have started the conversation about racial disparities by talking about the disparities themselves. During one of the breakout sessions at PolicyLink's Equity Summit, a panel of communications specialists illustrated that this is not the most effe...

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]]> News: Minnesota takes on Equity Summit 2011 http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Minnesota_takes_on_Equity_Summit_2011 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:44:48 -0600 Last week, nearly 2,500 people gathered in Detroit for PolicyLink's Equity Summit 2011. The energy at the summit was invigorating as people from around the United States came together to discuss how we can make equity central to everything that we do. The Twin Cities delegation consisted of more than 175 people, representing community groups, foundations and the public sector.

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]]> News: Congress Does Not Include Funding for HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative (Smart Growth America) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Congress_Does_Not_Include_Funding_for_HUD_s_Sustainable_Communities_Initiative Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:29:53 -0600 Thanks to the many of you who called Congress last week with messages about the importance of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sustainable Communities Initiative. Unfortunately, the final conference report, released Tuesday evening, does not include funding for this work.

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]]> News: Human rights commissioner promises quicker investigation, resolution (MPR) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Human_rights_commissioner_promises_quicker_investigation__resolution Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:29:35 -0600 After a lengthy fight at the state legislature, HIRE Minnesota was able to help preserve about 95 percent of the Minnesota Department of Human Right's budget for the next two years. MDHR is the only state agency charged with the responsibility of handling discrimination cases. Yet even with its budget preserved, resources at the agency are stretched. As of January, it took nearly 400 days for cases that were not dismissed to be resolved. The good news is, MDHR has taken steps to decrease this waiting time.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: October Organizer Roundtable: The Importance of Community Voice at the Legislature http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/October_Organizer_Roundtable_-_The_Importance_of_Community_Voice_at_the_Legislature_(final).pdf Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:04:26 -0600 "Power concedes nothing without a demand." – Frederick DouglassThis point was made expressly clear at the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability's October 2011 Organizer Roundtable on The Importance of Community Voice at the Legislature. Rep. Frank Hornstein of Minneapolis' District 60B shared with those who attended that power in the state legislature only comes as a re...

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]]> Common Ground: Fall 2011 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Common_Ground_Fall_2011_LOW_RES.pdf Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:29:50 -0600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes;...

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]]> News: The Link: Putting All Minnesotans Back to Work and More http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__Putting_All_Minnesotans_Back_to_Work_and_More Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:21:49 -0500 Check out this week's edition of the Link: Putting All Minnesotans Back to Work and More

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]]> News: Poverty Rate Climbs in America’s Suburbs http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Poverty_Rate_Climbs_in_America_s_Suburbs Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:46:30 -0500 Although the suburbs have long been a symbol of a strong, prosperous middle class, new reports are proving the contrary. Nationwide, the poor population in America's suburbs rose by more than half after 2000, two-thirds of which were added between 2007 and 2010.

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]]> News: Putting All Minnesotans Back to Work http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Putting_All_Minnesotans_Back_to_Work Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:45:31 -0500 At a time when the unemployment rate in communities of color is at its highest, it is important that our state's workforce investments put all Minnesotans back to work. Several state agencies, including MnDOT, the Metropolitan Council, and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, have pledged to make sure that people of color and women are hired as infrastructure projects are built. However, when reports on hiring goals are confusing or inaccurate, it is difficult to know whether or not these agencies are holding true to their word.

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]]> News: Meet Mel Reeves http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Meet_Mel_Reeves Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:29:33 -0500 How many organizers do you know who have this title – community political activist/ organizer/ journalist?

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]]> News: Do they or don't they? Dispute over Central Corridor hiring goals for minorities and women (TCDP) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Do_they_or_don_t_they__Dispute_over_Central_Corridor_hiring_goals_for_minorities_and_women__TCDP_ Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:30:38 -0500 The Twin Cities Daily Planet offers this great analysis of HIRE Minnesota's efforts to ensure people of color get their fair share of Central Corridor LRT jobs.

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]]> News: The Link: Regional Transitway Resources and More http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__Regional_Transitway_Resources_and_More Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:39:04 -0500 Check out this week's edition of the Link: Regional Transitway Resources and More!

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]]> News: Cute Kid Alert! http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Cute_Kid_Alert_ Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:52:09 -0500

Everybody loves a cute kid! That is what makes PolicyLink's new public service announcement America's Tomorrow so effective. It is hard to say no to a cute kid; it is difficult to deny such an innocent life the opportunities and privileges that many enjoy. People of color will be the majority in our nation by the year 2042. These kids, representing a myriad of cultures and races, are the future of our nation.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Organizer Roundtable: Bridging Culture to Organize Community http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Sept_28_Bridging_Culture_(Final).pdf Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:01:49 -0500 At the Alliance's last Organizer Roundtable on Bridging Culture to Organize Community, the Native American Somali Friendship Committee and Unify University Parade discussed the strategies that they have employed to organize with one another, and the obstacles that they have had to overcome in order to make their cross-cultural relationships a success....

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]]> Featured Resources: Twin Cities Regional Transitway Decision-Making Overview http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/101111Transitwaydecisionmakingoverview.pdf Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:28:32 -0500 Who has authority over transitway planning in the Twin Cities? This flow chart depicts the complex and often interrelated authorities who play a role in transitway planning in our region....

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]]> Featured Resources: Status of Corridors of Opportunity Transitways http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/101111CoOMapCorridorcurrentstatus.pdf Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:27:07 -0500 The Corridors of Opportunity project is creating sustainable, vibrant and healthy communities in the Twin Cities, using seven existing and planned transitways as a development focus. This map shows the seven Corridors of Opportunity, with a high-level summary of what planning stage each transitway is currently in....

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]]> Featured Resources: Community Engagement Opportunities for Transitway Development http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/101111CEopportunitiestransitway_planningprocess.pdf Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:23:25 -0500 How does a new transitway get planned? The complex steps of planning, design and public input can be overwhelming. This simple chart shows the major planning steps each new transitway must go through, and which government agencies have authority over those processes....

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]]> Featured Resources: 2010 Annual Report http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Annual_Report_2010_FINAL_1.pdf Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:33:50 -0500 Thank you for being a partner with the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability this year. Together, we made big strides in transforming our region toward our vision for an equitable, inclusive and sustainable region that benefits everyone. The victories you will read about in this report are transforming the way that our region functions.We are showing that it is possible to intentionally build a regi...

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]]> News: Organizer Profile: Meet Karen Monahan http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Organizer_Profile__Meet_Karen_Monahan_ Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:33:36 -0500 What's the one piece of advice this organizer would give you? Fuel your organizing with love, not anger.

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]]> Featured Resources: Met Council Data does not match public contractor reports http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/9-28-11_Met_Council_July_workforce_claims.pdf Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:18:50 -0500 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso...

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]]> News: Disparities in Minnesota http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Disparities_in_Minnesota_ Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:14:16 -0500 In terms of overall poverty and unemployment, rates Minnesota does much better in comparison to other states around the country. However, when we break these numbers down according to our demographics, we will find that people of color, women and children, experience disproportionate hardships more in our region than anywhere else in the country.

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]]> News: $33.3 million aimed at Twin Cities transit projects (Finance & Commerce) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=_33_3_million_aimed_at_Twin_Cities_transit_projects_ Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:26:46 -0500 More than $33 million should soon be available for transit-oriented development throughout the Twin Cities region. These additional monies come as the result of projects planned for years past that were not realized as a result of the economy. The Corridors of Opportunity Policy Board will be coordinating the funds, making them available to local cities, counties, rail authorities, development authorities, private or nonprofit developers, and nonprofit organizations that support transit-oriented development, entrepreneurship and small business development.

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]]> News: Strategic Investing in TOD: Balancing riches, realities and risk (Central Corridor Funders Collaborative) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Strategic_Investing_in_TOD__Balancing_riches__realities_and_risk Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:26:25 -0500 The Central Corridor Funder's Collaborative brought together a work group to share what they've learned as they explore how transit-oriented development (TOD) along rail corridors can advance access to affordable housing, jobs and other elements of a high quality of life for all residents. The resources provided by the workgroup also consider the challenges and opportunities involved in considering a new TOD funding structure for the Twin Cities region.

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]]> News: Equity Summit 2011… here we come! (Nexus Community Partners blog) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Equity_Summit_2011__here_we_come___Nexus_Community_Partners_blog_ Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:01:09 -0500 The Alliance is organizing a delegation of more than 150 Minnesotans to attend Equity Summit 2011, along with our Community Engagement Team partners Nexus Community Partners and the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing. Read about what we've done so far from Nexus's blog.

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]]> News: Progress on reaching Central Corridor's diversity hiring goals in dispute (Pioneer Press) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Progress_on_reaching_Central_Corridor_s_diversity_hiring_goals_in_dispute__Pioneer_Press_ Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:35:03 -0500 HIRE Minnesota has been closely following the progress on hiring women and people of color to build the Central Corridor LRT. At the September Central Corridor affirmative action meeting, the contractors reported that their hiring of people of color slipped in August. That's why we were surprised to see a September 27 report on mpr.org that declared contractors were meeting goals.

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]]> News: Twin Cities Daily Planet: Accused Construction Company Gets Central Corridor Contract http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet__Accused_Construction_Company_Gets_Central_Corridor_Contract Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:23:48 -0500 C.S. McCrossan, the construction company charged with lying about hiring people of color and women in building the Hiawatha LRT, is also the prime contractor on the St. Paul portion of the Central Corridor line. At a time when the unemployment rate for African Americans in the Twin Cities is three times higher than that of whites, HIRE Minnesota is not only committed to making sure that McCrossan's mistake does not happen a second time around but that they exceed their hiring goals every month.

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]]> News: The Link: Challenging CCLRT Contractors for Accountability http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__Challenging_CCLRT_Contractors_for_Accountability Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:46:06 -0500 Check out this week's edition of our e-newsletter - The Link: Challenging CCLRT Contractors for Accountability.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Organizer Roundtable: Storytelling as an Organizing Strategy http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Storytelling_as_an_Organizing_Strategy_(final).pdf Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:10:52 -0500 On August 24, more than 50 people gathered for the Alliance's Organizer Roundtable: Storytelling as an Organizing Strategy at the Merriam Park Library. Organizers from around the region shared how they use storytelling in their work to motivate people to take action and create social change....

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]]> News: Placemaking and Cultural Corridors http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Placemaking_and_Cultural_Corridors Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:03:52 -0500 In July, the Hennepin Theatre Trust received $200,000 in support of a one-year planning process to transform Hennepin Avenue into an arts-inspired cultural corridor. This creative placemaking not only will strengthen the arts, but will shape the social, physical and economic character of the Twin Cities metro region. But Hennepin Avenue is not the only cultural corridor that the Twin Cities enjoys. The African American Heritage Corridor in St. Paul, American Indian Cultural Corridor on East Franklin, and those embedded in the Latino community on Lake Street in Minneapolis and District del Sol in St. Paul also revitalize the economy of our neighborhoods and region.

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]]> News: Local and National Poverty Rates http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Local_and_National_Poverty_Rates Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:01:04 -0500 According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week, one in every six Americans lives at or below the poverty line. In Minnesota, there are 544,000 people living in poverty and one million – one in four Minnesotans – who are considered near poor. However, when you consider the picture of poverty in communities of color, these figures are even more disturbing as a result of racial disparities in terms of employment opportunities.

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]]> News: Challenging CCLRT Contractors for Accountability http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Challenging_CCLRT_Contractors_for_Accountability Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:58:59 -0500 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Over a dozen HIRE Minnesota members attended the Central Corridor Affirmative Action meeting last week to hear from the contractors about who is building the Central Corridor Light Rail line. Unfortunately, we learned that there is still a downward trend in the hiring of people of color on the project. Both the Minneapolis and Saint Paul portions of the project are below the hiring goal for people of color.

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]]> News: The Link: Connecting People, Places and Issues for Regional Equity http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_Link__Connecting_People__Places_and_Issues_for_Regional_Equity Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:18:18 -0500 Today, the Alliance launched our new e-newsletter, The Link! Check it out and let us know what you think!

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]]> News: Firms Cited by Feds Hired by Central Corridor http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Firms_Cited_by_Feds_Hired_by_Central_Corridor Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:52:43 -0500 C.S. McCrossan, a construction firm that built portions of the Hiawatha LRT, recently agreed to pay $4.6 million to settle claims by the federal government that they had misrepresented the number of women- and minority-owned businesses they hired to complete the project. This news is especially troubling, because McCrossan has a major contract to build the Minneapolis portion of the Central Corridor LRT. Current statistics for the construction of the CCLRT shows that McCrossan is one of the few contractors failing to meet hiring goals. But you can do something about it. Join HIRE Minnesota at the next Central Corridor Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Affirmative Action meeting to tell McCrossan that we expect all contractors who receive public funds to meet their goals for hiring and contracting.

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]]> News: Light rail on the Northside: Q&A with Raymond Dehn http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Light_rail_on_the_Northside__Q_A_with_Raymond_Dehn Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:49:52 -0500 In an interview with the Twin Cities Daily Planet, Raymond Dehn of the Northside Transportation Network, describes what he considers to be some of the most pressing transportation concerns on the Northside. Dehn says the Northside has been disproportionately affected by cuts in public transportation, which cuts off many residents from jobs and other opportunities outside of their community.

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]]> News: Federal Agencies Sign Environmental Justice Memorandum http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Federal_Agencies_Sign_Environmental_Justice_Memorandum Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:48:22 -0500 Last month, the Obama administration announced that federal agencies have agreed to develop environmental justice strategies to protect the health of people living in communities overburdened by pollution. In doing so, many departments, including both likely and unlikely suspects, are making a commitment to advance environmental justice as it relates to their policies and practices. The announcement could be important for the Twin Cities region because it could allow communities along planned transitways to leverage environmental justice as a means to increase their power in influencing transitway development.

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]]> News: Maps of Census Data by Race and Age http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Maps_of_Census_Data_by_Race_and_Age Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:43:38 -0500 If we want to have a nation that we are really proud of, a nation with more than just espoused democratic values and a nation with a strong middle class, we have to take into account the shift in our racial demographics and begin investing in communities that have been historically left behind. These graphs from PolicyLink show how over the next 30 years, our nation will increasingly be inhabited by people of color. Yet many communities of color have troubling economic disparities. How can our nation be economically competitive if a small fraction of our citizens hold all the wealth? Equity must be at the core of all our public policymaking to ensure a vibrant American future.

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]]> News: Organizer Profile: Meet Daniel Yang http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Organizer_Profile__Meet_Daniel_Yang Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:23:02 -0500

How many organizers do you know who have worked directly for the president of a major foreign nation?

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]]> News: Videos! Anchoring Equity to Achieve Sustainable Regional Development http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Videos__Anchoring_Equity_to_Achieve_Sustainable_Regional_Development Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:30:18 -0500 "What does an inclusive and sustainable path to economic growth look like?" Find out what local and national leaders said about the prospects for regional equity in the Twin Cities at Anchoring Equity to Achieve Sustainable Regional Development.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Organizer Roundtable: New Legislative Dynamics http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/July_27_OR_New_Legislative_Dynamics.pdf Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:25:44 -0500 On Wednesday, July 27, the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability gathered organizers, advocates and other nonprofit leaders for an Organizer Roundtable to highlight the strategies Twin Cities organizers used to build power at the Minnesota State Legislature this year. This year presented new challenges for progressive organizations at the legislature. An extremely large freshman class of legislators...

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]]> News: Twin Cities Daily Planet: High Cost of Getting to Work http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=The_High_Cost_of_Getting_to_Work Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:50:58 -0500 Although it is not typically considered as a means to boost the economy, public transportation is an essential component in getting all Minnesotans back to work. Yet, those who rely solely on public transit options, have significantly less job opportunities than those who have access to a car. As this article by Twin Cities Daily Planet points out, "the main problem is not bringing (transit) coverage to where people live, but overhauling the system to connect more jobs to workers."

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]]> News: Finance and Commerce: Community, officials clash over development plans for struggling Minneapolis neighborhood http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Finance_and_Commerce__Community__officials_clash_over_development_plans_for_struggling_Minneapolis_neighborhood Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:32:27 -0500 In this article written by Finance and Commerce, Harrison Neighborhood Association speaks out against the desires of city officials to put a commuter train storage facility in Linden Yards, a decision that would continue to sentence the community to generations of poverty and disinvestment.

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]]> News: Building the Power of Minnesota’s Communities http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Building_the_power_of_Minnesota_s_communities_ Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:15:23 -0500 On Wednesday, July 27 the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability hosted an Organizer Roundtable on New Legislative Dynamics. Avi Viswanathan, HIRE Minnesota organizer, opened the conversation by asking how the new leaders in the state legislature are effecting the capacity of organizers to build power in the Twin Cities historically disenfranchised communities.

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]]> News: Shelterforce: Making Light Rail Stop for Us http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Shelterforce__Making_Light_Rail_Stop_for_Us Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:38:37 -0500 Alliance staffer Tracy Babler wrote this article for Shelterforce, a national affordable housing magazine, on the incredible work of the Stops for Us coalition to secure three missing stations for communities of color along the Central Corridor LRT.

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]]> News: Is Convening More Than a Buzz Word? How Funders and Nonprofits Attack Workforce Disparities http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Is_Convening_More_Than_a_Buzz_Word__How_Funders_and_Nonprofits_Attack_Workforce_Disparities Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:01:48 -0500 As grantmakers seek avenues to achieve greater impact, the role of "convener" has become prevalent. Undoubtedly, convenings generate initial energy boosts for an issue, but is this sustained? Can convenings launch change?

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]]> Featured Resources: The 2011 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Guide: How to Incorporate Equity into your Grant Application http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/PolicyLinkHUDEquityReport-2.pdf Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:03:37 -0500 Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), launched an unprecedented new program to help regions plan for sustainability.This guide provided by PolicyLink offers information on how regions can incorporate social equity into their applications for the second rou...

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Lessons from Faith-Based Organizers http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/June_29th_OR_write_up-3.pdf Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:54:07 -0500 On Wednesday, June 29, the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability organized a roundtable for a discussion on Lessons from Faith-Based Organizers at the Franklin Library. Alison Kileen of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) opened up our time speaking of the work that she and colleagues do, organizing for social justice across faith lines....

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]]> News: HIRE Minnesota Shutdown Action Makes News http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=HIRE_Minnesota_Shutdown_Action_Makes_News Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:16:46 -0500 The Alliance joined our partners in the HIRE Minnesota coalition today for a public action to call on our leaders to end the shutdown and put Minnesotans back to work.

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]]> News: Policy Link Responds to Rep. John Mica's Transportation Reauthorization Proposal http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Policy_Link_Responds_to_Rep__John_Mica_s_Transportation_Reauthorization_Proposal_ Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:49:01 -0500 Angela Glover Blackwell, one of the speakers and panelists at the Anchoring Equity to Achieve Sustainable Regional Development event last week, responds to the proposal made by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair John Mica to cut spending on transportation programs by 35 percent.

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]]> News: Transit Woes Loom http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Transit_Woes_Loom Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:48:36 -0500 Vaughn Larry, of Alliance member group Aurora/ St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, was one of 100 people who gathered at a legislative hearing Wednesday night to warn about the impact of cuts to transit service and increase in fares.

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]]> Our Work: HIRE Minnesota http://www.metrostability.org/campaigns/article.php?sid=HIRE_Minnesota Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:57:11 -0500 HIRE Minnesota is working to ensure that public investments lift people out of poverty, reduce racial disparities and contribute to healthier communities for all of us.

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]]> Featured Resources: Local and national leaders envision equitable transitway development in the Twin Cities region http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/6-28-11_Anchoring_Equity_writeup.pdf Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:07:06 -0500 "What does an inclusive and sustainable path to economic growth look like?"That was the framing question posed by Nexus Community Partners Executive Director Repa Mekha to more than 250 people who attended a public forum on Anchoring Equity to Achieve Sustainable Regional Development Outcomes last week....

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]]> News: Growing together: using equity to spur growth (Growth & Justice blog) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Growing_together__using_equity_to_spur_growth__Growth___Justice_blog_ Sat, 02 Jul 2011 12:47:38 -0500 Growth & Justice adds its two cents about Minnesota's growing inequities, after attending the Community Engagement Team's Anchoring Equity event last week, presented in partnership with the Northwest Area Foundation and the Metropolitan Council.

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]]> Our Work: Corridors of Opportunity Community Engagement Team http://www.metrostability.org/campaigns/article.php?sid=Corridors_of_Opportunity_Community_Engagement_Team Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:39:50 -0500 In October 2010, the Twin Cities was awarded two competitive grants to support planning along the region's growing network of transit corridors. Over the next three years, Nexus Community Partners, the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing and the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability will serve as members of the Corridors of Opportunity initiative's Community Engagement Team.

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]]> News: Call for Corridors of Opportunity Outreach and Engagement Grant Applications! http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Call_for_Corridors_of_Opportunity_Outreach_and_Engagement_Grant_Applications_ Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:28:07 -0500 The Alliance and our Corridors of Opportunity Community Engagement Team partners have issued a call for applications for Outreach and Engagement grants!

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]]> News: Shutdown would be serious; bad budget would be catastrophic, groups say (Workday Minnesota) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Shutdown_would_be_serious__bad_budget_would_be_catastrophic__groups_say__Workday_Minnesota_ Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:20:01 -0500 The Alliance joined the HIRE Minnesota coalition and other groups involved in the Invest in Minnesota coalition on Thursday to tell state government leaders that a shutdown would be bad, but an all-cuts budget would be worse.

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]]> News: Transit planners say north Minneapolis concerns a factor in Bottineau decisions (Finance & Commerce) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Transit_planners_say_north_Minneapolis_concerns_a_factor_in_Bottineau_decisions__Finance___Commerce_ Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:03:42 -0500 Determined to avoid the mistakes made in the early stages of the Central Corridor, transit planners have spent June inviting communities from north Minneapolis to Maple Grove to share their concerns about a potential billion-dollar system in the Bottineau Corridor.

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]]> News: Trying to bridge Minnesota's racial opportunity gap (Finance & Commerce) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Trying_to_bridge_Minnesota_s_racial_opportunity_gap__Finance___Commerce_ Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:28:36 -0500 Twin Cities Finance & Commerce covered the Anchoring Equity to Achieve Sustainable Regional Development Outcomes event the Alliance hosted last week, in partnership with our Corridors of Opportunity Community Engagement Team members Nexus Community Partners and the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing. The event highlighted ways that the Twin Cities region can capitalize on the opportunity of new transitway development to increase racial and economic equity for our residents.

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]]> Common Ground: Spring 2011 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Common_Ground_Spring_2011_for_Web.pdf Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:43:46 -0500 The latest Common Ground is packed with information about the current political landscape, including the affect of the legislative session on equity issues and the possible impact of a new Metropolitan Council....

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]]> News: Keep State Agency for Human Rights (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Keep_State_Agency_for_Human_Rights__Star_Tribune_ Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:10:57 -0500 The Star Tribune Editorial Board stands in defense of saving the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, acknowledging that the Legislature's proposal to slash the department's budget by 65 percent would make the agency ineffective, if not altogether obsolete. HIRE Minnesota has been working to raise public awareness on this issue, knowing that without this department cases of discrimination in regards to employment, housing, education, and health care would not be handled.

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]]> News: Helping Communities of Color Go Green (Twin Cities Daily Planet) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Helping_Communities_of_Color_Go_Green__Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet_ Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:01:22 -0500 On Wednesday, May 25 the Alliance hosted an Organizer Roundtable on Local Organizing for the Environment, Energy and the Earth. Representatives of environment advocacy groups across the Metro Area discussed how the green revolution can more prominently include communities of color.

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]]> News: North Minneapolis Community Forum (Twin Cities Daily Planet) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=North_Minneapolis_Community_Forum__Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet_ Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:58:35 -0500 On Monday, June 9, Congressman Keith Ellison, Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, Rep. Jeff Hayden, Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey and other leaders joined HIRE Minnesota in a call to action to save the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Local Organizing for the Environment, Energy and the Earth http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/May_25_2011_OR_write_up-1.pdf Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:03:06 -0500 On May 25, the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability organized a roundtable for adiscussion on Local Organizing for the Environment, Energy and the Earth. ValerieMartinez, of the Women's Environmental Institute, opened up our time with apowerful testimonial and shared why environmental sustainability for communitiesof color matters to her....

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]]> News: Communities Mobilize to Preserve Human Rights Funding (Twin Cities Daily Planet) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Communities_Mobilize_to_Preserve_Human_Rights_Funding Fri, 13 May 2011 10:29:25 -0500 If the legislature has its way, the Minn. Dept. of Human Rights (MDHR) could have its budget slashed by as much as 65 percent.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Metro Clean Energy Resource Team http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Metro_CERT-_April_27_2011.pdf Tue, 03 May 2011 15:17:35 -0500 On Wednesday, April 27, the Alliance organized a roundtable of communityorganizers for a discussion on the Metro Clean Energy Resource Team. The CleanEnergy Resource Teams, or CERT, are a statewide program that fosters apartnership between community groups, congregations, schools, andmunicipalities to improve clean energy....

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]]> News: Partnership for Sustainable Communities Included in Federal Budget http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Partnership_for_Sustainable_Communities_Included_in_Federal_Budget Tue, 03 May 2011 13:45:11 -0500 In early April, the federal budget for 2011 was finalized and passed. The budget included complete funding for the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

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]]> News: Racial Disparities in Hiring? Just Slash Human Rights Budget (TCDP) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Racial_Disparities_in_Hiring__Just_Slash_Human_Rights_Budget Tue, 03 May 2011 09:21:03 -0500 Mary Turck, editor of the Twin Cities Daily Planet, reports on HIRE Minnesota's efforts to preserve funding for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

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]]> News: Lessons from the White Privilege Conference http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Lessons_from_the_White_Privilege_Conference Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:24:27 -0500 As part of our organizational commitment to undoing racism, the Alliance's staff and other leaders attended the White Privilege Conference, a annual national convening that was held in Minneapolis on April 13-16, 2011. They provided these insights and resources gathered at the conference so that people who could not attend the conference or these sessions could benefit from the lessons learned.

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]]> News: Will the New Met Council Benefit Communities of Color? (MN Spokesman Recorder) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Will_the_New_Met_Council_Benefit_Communities_of_Color___MN_Spokesman_Recorder_ Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:49:49 -0500 A change in the governor's office means a new Metropolitan Council, our regional government body that plans things like transportation and affordable housing. Will the new Met Council do more to eliminate our region's alarming racial disparities?

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]]> News: HIRE Minnesota: Racial Disparities, A Task for Us All (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=HIRE_Minnesota_LTE__Racial_Disparities__A_Task_for_Us_All Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:42:07 -0500 Alliance Associate Director and Summit Academy OIC CEO Louis King write that with Minnesota's nation-leading racial economic disparities, now is not the time to dismantle policies and programs that protect women and people of color in the workplace.

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]]> Featured Resources: Governor Dayton's Response to Black Economic Summit http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/daytonresponse.pdf Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:52:32 -0500 Governor Dayton has issued responses to the recommendations made by HIRE Minnesota and other organizations and community members at the Black Economic Summit in North Minneapolis. We appreciate the timeliness of the governor's response and that he is willing to partner with us in addressing these important issues. We look forward to continuing to work with the governor in achieving actual po...

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]]> News: Dayton offers initiatives to spur new jobs for blacks (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Dayton_offers_initiatives_to_spur_new_jobs_for_blacks__Star_Tribune_ Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:37:19 -0500

Last week, HIRE Minnesota, along with other community leaders, made recommendations to Governor Mark Dayton for improving the economic well-being of African Americans in Minnesota.

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]]> News: Twin Cities Jobless Gap Worst in Nation (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Twin_Cities_Jobless_Gap_Worst_in_Nation__Star_Tribune_ Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:39:34 -0500 The Alliance and our partner organizations have helped raise awareness in the Twin Cities that we have the worst black-white employment disparities in the nation. A new article from the Star Tribune highlights the issue again.

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]]> News: Support the Partnership for Sustainable Communities http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Support_the_Partnership_for_Sustainable_Communities Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:36:52 -0500 Currently. federal legislation is being considered that would cut funding to the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Cuts to this innovative program could have a major impact on our nation's ability to plan healthy, safe and equitable communities that recognize the connections between people and our natural and built environments.

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]]> News: Back of the Bus: Mass Transit, Race and Inequality http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Back_of_the_Bus__Mass_Transit__Race_and_Inequality Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:37:40 -0600 This NPR documentary traces the history of inequities in our nation's mass transit decision-making, leaning heavily on the story of St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood as an example of the lasting effects of racist transportation policy.

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]]> News: In Solidarity with WI Public Workers: Why Environmentalists and (insert your field here) Should Care http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=In_Solidarity_with_WI_Workers Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:21:25 -0600 Mat Hollinshead, a Sierra Club Northstar Chapter leader and former Alliance board member, wrote this brilliant piece about why we all need to stand with Wisconsin's public workers as their collective bargaining rights are threatened. An interesting take on the connection between seemingly disparate people, places and issues.

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]]> News: Community Stabilization Project featured in Star Tribune! http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Community_Stabilization_Project_featured_in_Star_Tribune_ Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:04:00 -0600 Long-time Alliance member group Community Stabilization Project was featured in the Star Tribune this week. Congrats to Mari and Metric, and thanks for all you do!

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]]> News: HIRE Minnesota one of Ms. Foundation's grantees in the news http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=HIRE_Minnesota_one_of_Ms__Foundation_s_grantees_in_the_news Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:16:56 -0600 For the second time this year, the Ms. Foundation for Women has featured HIRE Minnesota in its blog about groups doing great work to make change to benefit women.

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]]> News: Organizing for Inclusive TOD (Shelterforce) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Organizing_for_Inclusive_TOD__Shelterforce_ Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:57:34 -0600 Shelterforce, a national affordable housing journal, featured the Stops for Us campaign as an exmple of good community organizing for transit-oriented development.

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]]> News: MnDOT preps new plan to hire more women, people of color (MPR) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MnDOT_preps_new_plan_to_hire_more_women__people_of_color Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:30:44 -0600 HIRE Minnesota was one of the collaborating stakeholders that helped produce a Minnesota Department of Transportation report that could result in more women and people of color receiving jobs and contracts on road construction projects.

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]]> Featured Resources: MnDOT: Disadvantaged Business Enterprise & Workforce Collaborative Report to the Legislature http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/MnDOT_Collaborative_Legislative_Report_FINAL_E-version.pdf Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:35:30 -0600 Representing HIRE Minnesota, the Alliance participated in the collaborative process that resulted in this report to the state Legislature on how to improve MnDOT's hiring and contracting outcomes for women and people of color....

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]]> News: Transportation for America Equity Cacucus Statement on the State of the Union Address http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Transportation_for_America_Equity_Cacucus_Statement_on_the_State_of_the_Union_Address Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:52:07 -0600 The Alliance is a member of Transportation for America's Equity Caucus, which issued a statement today applauding President Obama's call for smart, targeted transportation investments that connect all Americans to opportunity.

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]]> News: Looking for a road to affordable Central Corridor housing (Twin Cities Daily Planet) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Looking_for_a_road_to_affordable_Central_Corridor_housing__Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet_ Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:11:45 -0600 The Alliance's January Organizer Roundtable features the Central Corridor Affordable Housing Partnership. Here's a primer from the TC Daily Planet.

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]]> Featured Resources: OAP: Racial Equity Policy Brief on Jobs and Economic Development http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/OAP_REPP.pdf Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:07:27 -0600 The Organizing Apprenticeship Project released this policy brief this week that details 14 recommendations for how to reduce Minnesota's racial disparities while creating jobs and boosting economic development. HIRE Minnesota was one of the contributors and co-releasers of the report....

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]]> News: American Indian Cultural Corridor: New Art, New Enterprise on Franklin Avenue (The Line) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=American_Indian_Cultural_Corridor__New_Art__New_Enterprise_on_Franklin_Avenue__The_Line_ Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:07:58 -0600 Alliance member group NACDI is out ahead of the curve on creating cultural corridors in the Twin Cities.

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]]> News: Igniting Change: HIRE Minnesota recognized on Ms. Foundation for Women blog http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Igniting_Change__HIRE_Minnesota_recognized_on_Ms__Foundation_for_Women_blog Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:33:47 -0600 HIRE Minnesota was recognized as one of the Ms. Foundation for Women's "grantees making waves."

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]]> News: Let's revive solid regional planning (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Let_s_revive_solid_regional_planning__Star_Tribune_ Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:57:54 -0600 Alliance member groups Transit for Livable Communities and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy published this commentary in the Star Tribune.

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]]> News: Apply for a Met Council Seat http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Apply_for_a_Met_Council_Seat Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:31:55 -0600 The Dayton administration today released information on how to apply to become a member of the Metropolitan Council.

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]]> News: Sue Haigh will be the new Met Council Chair http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Sue_Haigh_will_be_the_new_Met_Council_Chair Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:43:18 -0600 Signaling that affordable housing will become a higher priority, Gov.-elect Mark Dayton on Wednesday named Susan Haigh, the head of a nonprofit that builds homes for the poor, to lead the Metropolitan Council.

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]]> News: Preventing Foreclosure in North Minneapolis (TCDP) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Preventing_Foreclosure_in_North_Minneapolis__TCDP_ Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:39:59 -0600 The Twin Cities Daily Planet profiled the Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition after the Alliance's December roundtable featured this innovative coalition's efforts to prevent Northside foreclosures.

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]]> Our Work: Stops for Us http://www.metrostability.org/campaigns/article.php?sid=Stops_for_Us Tue, 28 Dec 2010 13:17:58 -0600 The Stops for Us Coalition won a national environmental justice award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December 2010!

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]]> News: Weatherization spending primes economic pump, cuts family expenses http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Weatherization_spending_primes_economic_pump__cuts_family_expenses Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:39:48 -0600 Weatherization cuts utility expenses for low-income families and improves energy efficiency of older homes. HIRE Minnesota believes that low-income people and people of color can and should be trained to do that work!

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]]> News: Stops for Us Coalition Receives National Environmental Justice Award http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Stops_for_Us_Coalition_Receives_National_Environmental_Justice_Award Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:33:12 -0600 The Stops for Us Coalition was honored with a 2010 National Achievements in Environmental Justice awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Developing Cultural Corridors http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Developing_Cultural_Corridors_article.pdf Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:58:47 -0600 In late October, the Alliance organized a roundtable of community organizers for a discussion on the cultural corridors that promise to be vital contributors to our local economies in the Twin Cities area. The development of cultural corridors can establish a unique sense of place and strong community ownership in the economic revitalization of a neighborhood and our region.Photo of the American I...

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]]> Common Ground: Winter 2010 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CG_Winter_2010_FINAL_low_res.pdf Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:13:55 -0600 This issue of the Common Ground is devoted to community engagement. Read about how local groups are transforming the way decisions are made in the Twin Cities region by focusing on meaningful engagement of the people who live and work here!...

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Sustainable Communities and the Community Engagement Team http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CETarticle.pdf Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:42:01 -0600 On October 14, 2010, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that the Twin Cities region, led by the Metropolitan Council, was awarded a $5 million grant from the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program. This grant is through the HUD-DOT-EPA Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The goal of the grant is to support the Met Council and othe...

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]]> Featured Resources: Twin Cities Sustainable Communities Grant Community Engagement Team Presentation http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CETSustainableCommunitiesPresentation.pdf Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:16:21 -0600 The Twin Cities region was recently awarded a grant from the HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program.The Alliance, Nexus Community Partners and the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing were selected to lead a Community Engagement Team to to ensure communities along emerging transitways have a voice and a strong role in planning for the future of their neighborhoods.This...

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]]> Featured Resources: 2009 Annual Report http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Annual_Report_FINAL.pdf Wed, 03 Nov 2010 22:15:02 -0500 Read about the Alliance's 2009 victories for racial, economic and environmental justice in the 2009 annual report!...

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]]> News: Group wants more minorities, women building Central Corridor LRT (Pioneer Press) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Pioneer_Press__Group_wants_more_minorities__women_building_Central_Corridor_LRT Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:37:32 -0500 HIRE Minnesota is demanding hiring equity along the Central Corridor!

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Lessons Learned from the Central Corridor http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Sept_29_Lessons_Learned_CCLRT_write_up.pdf Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:26:22 -0500 What lessons have organizers learned from their work along the Central Corridor? Find out what was shared at our September 2010 Organizer Roundtable....

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]]> News: We All Do Better When We All Do Better (Star Tribune Voices) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=We_All_Do_Better_When_We_All_Do_Better Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:19:40 -0500 Northwest Area Foundation's Gary Cunningham analyzes the connections between unemployment disparities and education, while affirming the mission of the Alliance in the process!

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]]> News: Working Twice as Hard to Get Half as Far (TCDP) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Working_Twice_as_Hard_to_Get_Half_as_Far__TCDP_ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:24:23 -0500 The Twin Cities Daily Planet summarizes the Alliance's Moving Minnesota from Worst to Best on Hiring Equity event, featuring Dr. Algernon Austin of the Economic Policy Institute.

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]]> Featured Resources: Working Twice as Hard: African Americans and the American Labor Market http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Austin_MCF.pdf Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:10:13 -0500 Dr. Algernon Austin of the Economic Policy Institute made this presentation at the Alliance's Moving Minnesota from Worst to Best on Hiring Equity event. It provides a statistical picture of the hiring and unemployment disparities in the Twin Cities and nationally....

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]]> News: Planning Makes a Comeback (MinnPost) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Planning_Makes_a_Comeback__MinnPost_ Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:03:17 -0500 Thinking ahead isn't something Americans are good at. We'd rather spend money now than save for later. But since the onset of the Great Recession in 2008, when arguably the absence of sound planning sent the housing and financial markets into a tailspin, planning has made a comeback.

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]]> News: Franklin Avenue plan would create urban Indian cultural corridor (MPR) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Franklin_Avenue_plan_would_create_urban_Indian_cultural_corridor__MPR_ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:41:18 -0500 Native American Community Development Institute, an Alliance member, talks about plans for the nation's first American Indian cultural corridor along Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.

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]]> Our Work: Transportation Equity and Equitable Development http://www.metrostability.org/campaigns/article.php?sid=Transit_Equity Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:12:23 -0500 The Alliance believes our transportation policy can bring specific benefits to local communities through access to jobs, job creation and connection to affordable housing.

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]]> Featured Resources: Uneven Pain - Unemployment by Metropolitan Area and Race http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/EPI_Uneven_Pain.pdf Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:39:43 -0500 The Economic Policy Institute recently released this study, which revealed that the Twin Cities has one of the worst racial gaps in unemployment in the nation. An excerpt:Looking at the unemployment ratios with whites for Hispanics and African Americans in Tables 3 and 4, the Minneapolismetropolitan area stands out as having the worst relative disparity. The Minneapolis metropolitan area has a bla...

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]]> News: Twin Cities' 'Shameful Little Secret' Exposed (Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Twin_Cities___Shameful_Little_Secret__Exposed__Minnesota_Spokesman_Recorder_ Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:07:47 -0500 The Spokesman-Recorder's take on Minnesota's unacceptable racial unemployment disparities, including a recap of HIRE Minnesota's work to close the racial gap in umemployment.

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]]> News: 430 Acres of Tarnished Opportunity in Arden Hills (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=430_Acres_of_Tarnished_Opportunity_in_Arden_Hills__Star_Tribune_ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:48:02 -0500 More uncertainty about what to do with the Twin Cities' largest developable tract of land. Meanwhile, nearby manufactured home park residents are still hoping to save their homes if the project goes forward.

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]]> News: HIRE Minnesota Leads Protest Against Ames Construction (Pioneer Press) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=HIRE_Minnesota_Leads_Protest_Against_Ames_Construction__Pioneer_Press_ Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:14:31 -0500 After the recent announcement that the Twin Cities lead the nation in employment disparities, HIRE Minnesota took action. We organized a protest against Ames Construction, one of the state's poorest performers when it comes to hiring people of color on construction projects.

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]]> News: King and Brown: To end racial disparity, take the first step (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=King_and_Brown__To_end_racial_disparity__take_the_first_step__Star_Tribune_ Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:11:51 -0500 HIRE Minnesota leaders Maura Brown (Alliance associate director) and Louis King (Summit Academy OIC president) published this commentary in the Star Tribune on how to end Twin Cities nation-leading employment disparities.

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]]> News: King and Brown: To end racial disparity, take the first step (Star Tribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=King_and_Brown__To_end_racial_disparity__take_the_first_step__Star_Tribune_1800 Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:11:37 -0500 Alliance Associate Director Maura Brown and Summit Academy OIC President Louis King on how to change Minnesota's nation-leading employment disparities.

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]]> News: Twin Cities Has Widest Jobless Gap By Race (StarTribune) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Twin_Cities_Has_Widest_Jobless_Gap_By_Race__Star_Tribune Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:49:25 -0500 "Blacks are more than three times as likely to be unemployed as whites in the Twin Cities, giving the area the worst racial disparity in unemployment among the country's largest cities, according to a new study released this week.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: The Ecology of Organizing http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Ecology_of_Organizing_4-10.pdf Fri, 28 May 2010 13:07:29 -0500 In April and May of 2010, organizers from throughout the Twin Cities came together for two Alliance for Metropolitan Stability Organizer Roundtables to learn about and discuss the Ecology of Organizing, a system of thinking that recognizes an ecosystem of social justice organizing happening right now in the Twin Cities....

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]]> Common Ground: Common Ground Spring 2010 http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Common_Ground_Sp_2010_FINAL.pdf Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:04:21 -0500 The Alliance newsletter "Common Ground" features stories about the connections between people, places and issues in the Twin Cities Region. From securing the three missing light rail stations on Central Corridor, to the Harrison neighborhood's fight against disinvestment, to the benefits of public transportation and the importance of integrating land-use, housing, economic development in our...

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]]> News: Central Corridor Finds an Ally in Washington - MPR http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Central_Corridor_Finds_an_Ally_in_Washington___MPR Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:52:49 -0600 MPR reported today on the work of community groups to secure the Federal government's support for the missing three stations on Central Corridor. The head of the Federal Transportation Administration tells the story of being convinced of the injustice of the missing stations by Stops for Uc coalition members - while in line for coffee at a conference in DC!

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]]> News: $6 Billion Proposed for Home Energy Efficiency (Reuters) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=_6_Billion_Proposed_for_Home_Energy_Efficiency__Reuters_ Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:14:44 -0600 This morning President Obama proposed a $6 billion investment in increasing home energy efficiency and associated job creation.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Community Partnerships for Success http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/BSC_roundtable.pdf Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:02:52 -0600 Alliance member group Twin Cities LISC provided this excellent article summarizing the shared learning among organizers who attended our February Organizer Roundtable on Community Partnership for Success....

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]]> News: Insight News: Transit Options Energize Northside Civic Engagement http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Insight_News__Transit_Options_Energy_Northside_Civic_Engagement Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:47:24 -0600 Metric Giles, the St. Paul-based environmentalist and community organizer, beamed with pride. "This is awesome," he said, addressing a standing room only audience of North Minneapolis residents, business and agency leaders, and politicians who responded to State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion's (DFL-58B) call to consider Light Rail Transit options for North Minneapolis.

Over 250 people overflowed a first space, then a larger space at the University Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC) at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North. "I expected to see a lot of white people here, but to find, instead, a room full of Black people, Asian people and Latino people is awesome. That's what this is all about….all the people being on board," said Giles.

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]]> News: TCDP: Minnesota Stimulus Dollars Bypass Blacks, Other Communities of Color http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=TCDP__Minnesota_Stimulus_Dollars_Bypass_Blacks__Other_Communities_of_Color Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:14:29 -0600 The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (AARA) called for $50 billion to build and repair the nation's roads, bridges, railways and ports "to preserve and create jobs" and "to assist those most impacted by the recession." It explicitly states that investments should prioritize those hit hardest by the recession - those in distressed communities who have a high percentage of low-income households or high unemployment rates.

According to U.S. Department of Transportation records, nearly 2,000 contractors have been awarded stimulus money for highway and bridge projects. However, the Federal Procurement Data System reports that only one federal transportation contract has gone to a Black-owned business (in Nevada).

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]]> News: MPR: MnDOT Remains Short of Goal for Hiring Minority Contractors http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MPR__MnDOT_Remains_Short_of_Goal_for_Hiring_Minority_Contractors Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:47:26 -0600 There's more disappointing news both locally and nationally for minority and women-owned construction companies. Federal stimulus spending on transportation projects has not been as much of a payday as hoped for.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Developing Leadership for Sustainable Organizing http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Leadership_Development_Roundtable.pdf Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:06:34 -0600 At the heart of organizing is developing leadership that can guide and influence a community or organization toward accomplishing its goals. Enhancing current leadership capacity and ensuring a pipeline of future leaders is crucial to ensuring long-term organizational success. This resource summarizes the Alliance's Organizer Roundtable on Development Leadership for Sustainable Organizing, he...

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]]> News: USDOT: Minnesota Hosts Reauthorization Listening Tour Stop http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=USDOT__Minnesota_Hosts_Reauthorization_Listening_Tour_Stop Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:23:03 -0600 U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blogs about his recent trip to Minnesota, which featured the announcement that all three missing Central Corridor stops would be built.

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]]> News: MinnPost: 11 Gubernatorial Make Their Pitches to Large Activist Crowd http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MinnPost__11_Gubernatorial_Make_Their_Pitches_to_Large_Activist_Crowd Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:31:01 -0600 The Alliance was one of the sponsors of the Governor Candidate Forum on Transportation, Land Use and the Environment, covered by Doug Grow at MinnPost.

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]]> News: Pioneer Press: University Avenue Wins 3 More Train Stations http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Pioneer_Press__University_Avenue_Wins_3_More_Train_Stations Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:19:59 -0600

The neighborhood needs were always there. The political will was there, too, and growing rapidly over the past several weeks.

Now, the money's there, and it's official: The proposed Central Corridor light-rail line will stop three more times along its 11-mile route between St. Paul and Minneapolis.

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Three More Train Stations Coming to St. Paul http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Three_More_Train_Stations_Coming_to_St__Paul Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:38:26 -0600 St. Paul will be getting all three of the additional light-rail stations it has long sought, the nation's top transportation official is expected to announce Monday afternoon.

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Odds Improve for 3 St. Paul LRT Stops http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Odds_Improve_for_3_St__Paul_LRT_Stops Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:27:42 -0600 Three additional stations along the Central Corridor light-rail line are a big step closer to being built, planners said Wednesday. But money remains uncertain, and the new stops may not be enough to resolve a lawsuit brought against the project this week.

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]]> Featured Resources: Evaluating Our Transportation Future: How Federal Spending Influences Local Transportation Planning and What Communities Can Do About It http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Evaluation_Measures_report.pdf Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:12:46 -0600 Right now is a critical moment for local communities to understand how federal transit project evaluation criteria affect decisions that will happen right in our own backyards.A recent announcement from the Federal Transit Administration states that the agency will now take livability criteria into consideration when evaluating projects for federal funding. They will also "initiate a separat...

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]]> Featured Resources: Transportation Stimulus in Minnesota: Increasing Equity or Exacerbating Disparities? http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/InfrastructureReport.pdf Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:05:35 -0600 When it passed in February 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was a beacon of hope for many low-income communities and communities of color. An important guiding principle for ARRA states that funds should be used to assist those most impacted by the recession. Communities of color, which have historically borne the greatest unemployment burden, saw the stimulus bill as an opp...

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Federal Shift Could Benefit Light Rail Here http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Federal_Shift_Could_Benefit_Light_Rail_Here Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:30:37 -0600 Alliance Executive Director Russ Adams on recent federal rule changes that could mean more equitable transit investment in the Twin Cities region and beyond.

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Central Corridor -- Next Stops St. Paul? http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Central_Corridor____Next_Stops_St__Paul_350 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:34:04 -0600 An abrupt change in federal rules offered some hope Wednesday that the problems snagging the Central Corridor light-rail line could soon be ironed out, bringing peace to the negotiators and maybe even three new rail stations to St. Paul.

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]]> News: MPR: New FTA Rule May Affect Central Corridor http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MPR__New_FTA_Rule_May_Affect_Central_Corridor Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:06:25 -0600 The Obama administration is changing a decision-making rule that has long rankled transit advocates. The rule change would allow the FTA to factor in livability as it awards federal money for a project and it could affect the Central Corridor light rail project.

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Hennepin County's plans to buy land in Harrison neighborhood draw fire http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Hennepin_County_s_plans_to_buy_land_in_Harrison_neighborhood_draw_fire Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:47:44 -0600 The Alliance is supporting the Harrison Neighborhood Association in the battle to redevelop the Bassett Creek Valley.

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]]> News: Smart Growth America: What We Learned from the Stimulus http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Smart_Growth_America__What_We_Learned_from_the_Stimulus Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:05:44 -0600 The latest data on stimulus spending show that funds spent on public transportation were a more effective job creator than stimulus funds spent on highways.

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]]> News: Twin Cities Daily Planet Profiles Stops for Us Leader Metric Giles http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Twin_Cities_Daily_Planet_Profiles_Stops_for_Us_Leader_Metric_Giles Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:38:55 -0600 Community Stabilization Project Organizer and Stops for Us Leader Metric Giles was profiled by the Twin Cities Daily Planet about the values that drive his work for racial justice.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Leveraging Community Benefits from Transitway Development http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Leveraging_Comm_Benefits_Transit_12-09.pdf Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:44:36 -0600 On December 16, 2009, Anne White of District Councils Collaborative, Diane Dube of William Mitchell College of Law Community Development Clinic and Hussein Samatar of the African Development Center spoke at an Alliance for Metropolitan Stability Organizer Roundtable about their efforts to convene community residents to identify solutions to long-standing community concerns about the LRT and c...

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]]> News: Star Tribune: 2010 Getting Down to the Wire on Central Corridor http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__2010_Getting_Down_to_the_Wire_on_Central_Corridor Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:48:31 -0600 This is the year for everyone to get on board with the Central Corridor light-rail project, according to many involved with the nearly $1 billion plan to connect the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

However, local disagreements -- which are expected in large projects such as the Central Corridor -- must be fixed before any final approval is given.

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]]> Featured Resources: 2008 Annual Report http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/AMS_Annual_Report_FINAL.pdf Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:52:53 -0600 The Alliance's 2008 annual report is now available!...

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Tools from the Rail~Volution Conference http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Tools_from_Railvolution_Conference_notes_Nov_25_09__2_.pdf Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:43:20 -0600 A cohort of 36 people from nonprofits and government agencies attended the Rail~Volution Conference in Boston at the end of October. Rail~Volution is a conference for practitioners from all perspectives who believe strongly in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities. The conference provided a unique opportunity for innovat...

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]]> News: Viable Futures Network: Equitable Allocation of Stimulus Funds -- Minnesota Leads the Way http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Viable_Futures_Network__Equitable_Allocation_of_Stimulus_Funds____Minnesota_Leads_the_Way Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:02:34 -0600 HIRE Minnesota was featured in the first-ever Viable Futures Network newsletter, including a quote from Alliance Coalition Organizer Jennifer Jimenez.

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]]> Featured Resources: 15 years Organizing Together for Justice http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/AllianceAnniversarylayout4web2.pdf Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:24:54 -0600 The Alliance is celebrating our 15th anniversary in 2009. Read about our accomplishments in our first 15 years and check out the winning photographs in our in/stability photo competition....

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]]> Featured Resources: Measuring the Racial Impacts of Public Policy http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/ARC_Racial_Impacts_Revised_10_27_09.ppt Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:58:23 -0600 Terry Keleher of the Applied Research Center made this presentation at the Alliance's 2009 Regional Equity Series event on Measuring the Racial Impacts of Public Policies....

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]]> Common Ground: Fall 2009 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CmmnGrndWntr09-10.web.pdf Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:11:50 -0600 The Fall 2009 Common Ground features a cover story on the Stops for Us Coalition's recent victory to secure one missing station along the Central Corridor LRT line. Also read about HIRE Minnesota's work to secure jobs for people of color at the Minnsota Department of Transportation, and more!...

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Lobbying for Policy Decisions with Community Accountability http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Lobbying_for_Policy_Decisions_notes_Oct_21_09.pdf Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:48:05 -0600 On October 21, 2009, regional organizers came together at the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability to discuss their strategies and experiences in advocating for public policy change while remaining accountable to the communities they represent....

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]]> News: Session Daily: Problems Seen in Energy Stimulus Programs http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Session_Daily__Problems_Seen_in_Energy_Stimulus_Programs Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:53:39 -0500 State energy officials need to do a better job of ensuring that minority and low-income workers are included in weatherization and other stimulus projects, one lawmaker argued.

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]]> News: MPR: Groups Pushing for 3 Additional Light Rail Stations http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MPR__Groups_Pushing_for_3_Additional_Light_Rail_Stations Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:36:55 -0500 Community groups pushing for three additional stops along a proposed light-rail transit line are fired up about new federal concerns over when those stations could be built.

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]]> News: Daily Planet: Citizens lobby for more Central Corridor Stops http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Daily_Planet__Citizens_lobby_for_more_Central_Corridor_Stops Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:51:27 -0500 An impassioned group of St. Paul citizens, civic leaders and city officials on Tuesday urged state officials to help fund the construction of three additional light rail stops along University Avenue.

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]]> News: MPR: MnDOT hiring of minority contractors declines again http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MPR__MnDOT_hiring_of_minority_contractors_declines_again Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:31:52 -0500 The flow of stimulus dollars to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT, has not resulted in more jobs for women and minority workers.

In fact, new MnDOT statistics show the number of minorities and women on state road and bridge construction projects has declined from last year.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Racial Equity Impact Policies http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Racial_Equity_roundtable_notes_Sept_23_09.pdf Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:57:21 -0500 On September 26, 2009. Twin Cities' activists and organizers joined in discussion on racial equity impact policies. This roundtable centered on the work of a coalition that includes the Alliance, Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC), Community Stabilization Project (CSP) and Jewish Community Action (JCA), which is working with the St. Paul Planning and Econom...

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]]> News: MPR: MnDOT adjusts hiring goal for women and minority contractors http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MPR__MnDOT_adjusts_hiring_goal_for_women_and_minority_contractors Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:49:33 -0500 Again this year, construction companies awarded contracts for state road and bridge projects have fallen short of goals for hiring women and minority subcontractors.

Minnesota Department of Transportation officials say the hiring goal is too high and has been scaled back for next year. In addition, MnDOT is revamping its efforts to encourage contractors to hire individual women and minority construction workers.

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]]> News: in/stability on Display in Minneapolis and Online http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=in_stability_on_Display_in_Minneapolis_and_Online Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:16:19 -0500 The Twin Cities Daily Planet on our in/stability photo contest!

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]]> News: Stimulus Woes: How One Coalition is Working for More Equitable Spending http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Stimulus_Woes__How_One_Coalition_is_Working_for_More_Equitable_Spending Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:18:16 -0500 Smart Growth America recently covered the Alliance's role in HIRE Minnesota on its blog.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Community Organizing in the Suburbs http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Suburban_Organizing_notes_Aug_26_09.pdf Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:33:15 -0500 On August 26, 2009, Twin Cities organizers came together to discuss specific strategies for community organizing in the Twin Cities suburbs. This resource summarizes the discussion at the roundtable, including tips from our presenters and participants!...

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]]> Featured Resources: The Benefits of Public Transportation http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/benefits_of_public_transportation.pdf Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:42:34 -0500 Transportation is the lifeblood of a nation's economy, moving and connecting people, goods and services. For many Americans, talk of our transportation system may bring to mind our expansive highway system, undoubtedly the largest in the world. But increasingly, studies are showing that Americans want alternatives to driving to their destinations. Public transportation can answer...

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]]> News: Stops for Us Secures One Missing Central Corridor Station http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Stops_for_Us_Secures_One_Missing_Central_Corridor_Station Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:05:37 -0500 On August 26, 2009, the city of St. Paul committed to funding the complete build-out of one of the three missing Central Corridor LRT stops!

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]]> News: KSTP: HIRE Minnesota Protests MnDOT Hiring Practices http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=KSTP__HIRE_Minnesota_Protests_MnDOT_Hiring_Practices Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:51:13 -0500 HIRE Minnesota visited a MnDOT construction site at 46th Street and 35W today to search for missing persons - women and people of color!

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Cracks Develop in Support for Central Corridor LRT Line http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Cracks_Develop_in_Support_for_Central_Corridor_LRT_Line Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:53:58 -0500 Is being a squeaky wheel the best way to get what you want when it comes to the Central Corridor light-rail line? St. Paul City Council Member Melvin Carter III is starting to think so.

This week he broke from his typical role of unequivocal supporter to write a letter to Metropolitan Council Chairman Peter Bell expressing frustration with how the project is playing out in part of his ward. He even mentioned that he could grow to oppose it if things don't change.

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]]> News: Star Tribune: Minority Hiring Report Shows Little Progress on MnDOT Projects http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Star_Tribune__Minority_Hiring_Report_Shows_Little_Progress_on_MnDOT_Projects Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:17:18 -0500 Despite years of diversity hiring goals and decades of growth in Minnesota's minority population, state construction projects remain largely the work of white males.

Advocates from HIRE Minnesota are increasingly pushing the Minnesota Department of Transportation to sanction contractors who don't meet hiring goals on tax-funded projects.

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]]> Roundtable Resources: Do-It-Yourself Media http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/DIY_Media_July_29_09_notesTN.pdf Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:04:00 -0500 On July 29, 2009, the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability held an Organizer Roundtable that brought together Twin Cities' organizers to discuss current social media tools and how they can be used to elevate our organizing campaigns. Mary Turck, editor of the Twin Cities Daily Planet, and Bill Toth, Web 2.0 intern for the Headwaters Foundation for Justice, presented at the roundtable....

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]]> News: HIRE Minnesota delivers Missing Persons Report to MnDOT http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=HIRE_Minnesota_delivers_Missing_Persons_Report_to_MnDOT Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:27:11 -0500 On July 23, HIRE Minnesota delivered a Missing Persons Report to the Minnesota Department of Transportation to highlight the agency's failure to meet its women and minority hiring goals.

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]]> News: Weatherization RFP not acceptable, legislators say RFP omits legislative language ensuring inclusiveness http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Weatherization_RFP_not_acceptable__legislators_say_RFP_omits_legislative_language_ensuring_inclusiveness_ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:28:20 -0500 Minnesota's Legislative Black Caucus members say they will encourage Twin Cities area Community Action Programs to reject initial bids for the metro area's multi-million dollar weatherization initiative because the language in the requests for bids did not mirror language in the authorizing legislation.

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]]> News: Highways or Byways? http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Highways_or_Byways_ Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:09:46 -0500 The Alliance and other Twin Cities groups believe Minnesota spent too much of its $600 million in federal stimulus money building new highways and too little fixing the roads it has and adding public transit.

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]]> Featured Resources: Transportation Stimulus in Minnesota http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/MN_Stimulus_report_June_29_FINAL.pdf Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:40:55 -0500 Did Minnesota use the federal stimulus to create jobs, catch up on needed repair, and expand transportation choices for everyone? This report produced by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Transit for Livable Communities and 1,000 Friends of Minnesota analyzes transportation stimulus spending in Minnesota....

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]]> Featured Resources: Campaign Messaging http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Campaign_messaging_6-17-09.pdf Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:07:31 -0500 The Alliance's Organizer Roundtable on June 17, 2009, brought Twin Cities organizers together to discuss campaign messaging and its importance in organizing. This roundtable provided an opportunity for organizers to join in a discussion about messaging practices in organizing campaigns, and to ask questions of regional leaders in organizing communications....

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]]> News: Jump Starting Racial Justice http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Jump_Starting_Racial_Justice Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:50:15 -0500 The appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has stirred up another round of debate about race in America. Some recent attempts to promote racial equity include our own work on a Racial Equity Impact Policy in Saint Paul.

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]]> Common Ground: Summer 2009 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CommonGroundSummer2009_web.pdf Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:42:23 -0500 Our latest Common Ground newsletter is all about the intersection between the environment, the economy and equity!...

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]]> News: How an immigration raid changed a town http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=How_an_immigration_raid_changed_a_town Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:43:00 -0500 The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability is lending technical support to a nationally unique effort to respond to a devastating immigration raid on a meat packing plant in the small town of Postville in northeastern Iowa.

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]]> News: HIRE Minnesota secures $2.5 million for Green Jobs Training http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=_2_5_million_for_Green_Jobs_Training Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:42:05 -0500 HIRE-MN succeeded in passing a bill that directs $2.5 million for training and outreach in green jobs and infrastructure stimulus spending.

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]]> Featured Resources: The Power of a Story http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Advocacystoryhandout09.pdf Thu, 28 May 2009 08:23:32 -0500 Earlier this month, the Alliance brought organizers together from around the metropolitan region to learn techniques to make storytelling a more effective part of their organizing strategy. This Organizer Roundtable featured Loren Niemi of the Public Policy Project presenting "The Power of a Story." Niemi says:With 40 years of organizing and 30 plus years of having identified myself as...

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]]> Featured Resources: Organizer Roundtable Resource: The Role of Research in Effective Campaign Strategy http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/The_Role_of_Research.pdf Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:25:54 -0500 The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability held an Organizer Roundtable on April 22, 2009, that brought Twin Cities organizers together to discuss the Role of Research in Effective Campaign Strategy. This roundtable provided an opportunity for organizers to discuss the role research can play in community campaigns, and to ask questions of local research experts....

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]]> Featured Resources: Organizer Roundtable Resource: Education for Liberation - The Paulo Freire Methodology http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/EDUCATION_FOR_LIBERATION.pdf Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:45:50 -0500 The Alliance's recent Organizer Roundtable featured Victor Cole of Twin Cities Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, who presented on a variety of popular education methods. This document outlines the historical roots of popular education, derived from the teachings of Paulo Freire....

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]]> Featured Resources: Organizer Roundtable Resource: The Importance of Organizing in Community Development http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CommunityDevelopmentOrganizerRoundtable.pdf Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:57:18 -0500 The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability held an Organizer Roundtable on March 11, 2009, that brought together Twin Cities' organizers to discuss the Importance of Organizing in Community Development. This roundtable provided an opportunity to discuss the role organizing plays in community development efforts – and to share challenges faced and successful approaches to use when organizi...

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]]> Featured Resources: Organizer Roundtable Resource: The Intersection Between Electoral and Issue Organizing http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Intersection_of_Electoral_and_Issue_Organizing.pdf Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:08:44 -0600 The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability held an Organizer Roundtable on February 11, 2009, that brought Twin Cities organizers together to discuss the Intersection of Electoral and Issue Organizing. This roundtable was an opportunity for organizers to share their recent successes in electoral organizing – and to discuss how to capture that energy in future issue-based campaigns....

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]]> News: MPR: Economic Stimulus Could Lift Up People of Color http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=MPR__Economic_Stimulus_Could_Lift_Up_People_of_Color Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:13:58 -0600 There are very large numbers being tossed around to describe the size of the stimulus package under construction in Washington, D.C. They range from $600 to $850 billion. That amount of money could create millions of jobs. A new Minnesota coalition called H.I.R.E. Minnesota wants to make sure minorities and women are included in the hiring.

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]]> News: Insight News: H.I.R.E. Minnesota Seeks Green Jobs for Our Communities http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Insight_News__H_I_R_E__Minnesota_Seeks_Green_Jobs_for_Our_Communities Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:56:22 -0600 About 200 people turned out for H.I.R.E. Minnesota's first town hall meeting in north Minneapolis last week. The Alliance is participating in the H.I.R.E. Minnesota coalition, which is being led by Summit Academy OIC. We are seeking green jobs in the health care, infrastructure and renewable energy industries.

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]]> Common Ground: Winter 2008-09 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CommonGroundWntr08-09.pdf Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:40:56 -0600 This edition of the Common Ground is dedicated to the issue of regional equity. What does it mean? How do we achieve it? The newsletter features stories about local and national efforts in several different areas: community development, green jobs, resisting gentrification and displacement, and racial equity impact policies....

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]]> Our Work: Community Benefit Agreements http://www.metrostability.org/campaigns/article.php?sid=Test Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:37:07 -0500 The Alliance has been a leader in Minnesota in promoting the use of community benefits agreements to link public investment directly to community needs.

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]]> Common Ground: Spring 2008 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Spring2008Common_Ground.pdf Wed, 21 May 2008 11:08:19 -0500 The latest issue of the Common Ground newsletter focuses on recent victories for the Alliance and our partner organizations, including the recent passage of the transportation bill over the governor's veto and the Twin Cities' first community-based CBA....

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]]> Featured Resources: Community Benefits Agreements: Growing a Movement in Minnesota http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CBAREPORT.pdf Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:48:35 -0600 The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability recently released this report on community benefits agreements to further develop local understanding of the CBA's potential to yield significant, community-desired results from large-scale redevelopments and other projects. More and more organizations and coalitions are turning to the CBA model to produce meaningful - and, perhaps more importantl...

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]]> Common Ground: Fall 2007 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/CommonGroundfall2007.pdf Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:10:08 -0500 The Fall 2007 issue of the Alliance' Common Ground Newsletter features stories about the opportunities and challenges presented by mega-developments being proposed in the Twin Cities. Download the newsletter to read about mega-developments in St. Paul, Arden Hills, Brooklyn Park, Minneapolis and to learn about equitable development efforts taking place throughout the region....

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]]> Common Ground: Fall 2006 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Common-Ground-fall-2006.pdf Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:17:14 -0500 We are pleased to be able to dedicate the latest issue of Common Ground to featuring stories that illustrate an exciting new phase in the Twin Cities' movement for smarter growth and more equitable development. For the past year, the Alliance has worked to help a broad range of groups - our member organizations and other community allies - to ensure that low income communit...

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]]> Featured Resources: Recommendations for the Wireless Minneapolis Community Benefits Agreement http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/Wireless-CBA-Recommendations.pdf Mon, 06 Mar 2006 16:00:35 -0600 The Digital Inclusion Coalition was hosted by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability and comprised of organizations and individuals concerned about creating opportunities for low-income people and people of color to gain access to and training on computers and the Internet. The group came together as the city of Minneapolis issued an RFP for a private company to run its citywide Wi...

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]]> Common Ground: Fall 2005 Common Ground http://www.metrostability.org/efiles/2005_fall.pdf Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:22:35 -0500 The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability's newsletter, Common Ground is now online. Topics included in this newsletter are the Lexington-University Campaign, transit funding at the state legislature, and Community Benefit Agreements....

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]]> News: Deep and Intransigent Employment Disparities Persist in Minnesota (Twin Cities Daily Planet) http://www.metrostability.org/news/article.php?sid=Facing_race_head_on__Deep_and_intransigent_employment_disparities_persist_in_Minnesota Tue, 30 Nov 1999 10:28:54 -0600 As racial disparities in the unemployment rate in Minnesota remain high, the Legislature threatens to make these disparities more prevalent by cutting funding to essential programs like the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

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