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Black community foundation invests in racial justice
The Black Collective Foundation started in 2020 and continues to expand its investment in future Black changemakers.
MINNEAPOLIS — The next generation of Black leaders were in the spotlight during the 34th Annual Martin Luther Kind Jr. Holiday Breakfast in Minneapolis, and a record crowd was there to cheer them on.
It also made for the ideal setting to announcement another huge investment in the people and organizations who help lift those young voices.
“We’ve awarded more than $2 million in community grants across the state, in true partnership with members of our community,” said Lulete Mola, one of the founders of the Black Collective Foundation. “Today we’re announcing another $1 million investment in the genius of Black-led change across the state.”
Mola – along with co-founders Chanda Smith Baker and Repa Mekha – created the Black Collective Foundation following George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
“Amid the uprising for racial justice, we said, ‘What is the closest proximity to power that we hold to truly influence a change in the community?'” she said. “Not just for the moment, but for generations to come.”
Their answer is to offer support to individuals and groups like Black Storytellers Alliance, Be Their Voices and the Project DIVA International.
“We are a personal and professional development organization for Black girls in middle school and high school,” said Neda Kellogg, who founded Project DIVA in 2007. “Our goal is to ensure that girls have an adult transition plan as they walk into adulthood. We tell our girls in Project DIVA that they are not our future leaders, they are our right now leaders.”
Kellogg is one of the latest leaders to accept a $60,000 grant from Minnesota’s Black Collective Foundation, but she joins many more.
Another recipient, KNOWN MPLS, took the stage to kick off the MLK Jr. Holiday Breakfast.
“Their musical director invested his own money to engage the youth before it became official and before they got this big stage,” Mola said. “It’s really is a reflection of how Black-led change occurs every day.
“It’s not always a 501c3 nonprofit that you can find on a website, and we make sure that we go above and beyond to find those individuals, and to make sure they know that we believe in them and that we want to support them.”
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Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
