Reuters/Eric Miller
In the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd while he was detained by Minneapolis Police officers, and the local and global calls to address systemic violence against Black lives, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has compiled the following list of statements, ministry and reflections, articles, petitions, educational resources, and community funds. This is a living document that will be updated as we get more information, so remember to check back.
Statements:
Statement from Students in Public Theology for Social Transformation
Articles, Essays, and Reflections:
"Mo(u)rning in Minneapolis" (Photo essay by United Theology and the Arts student Lucy Matthews Heegaard)
"At the Intersection" (Photo essay by United Theology and the Arts student Lucy Matthews Heegaard)
Interfaith Online Vigil with the MN Conference of the UCC
Sermon from Rev. Karen Hutt, 5/31/2020 at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
"Buddhism in the Age of Black Lives Matter," by Professor Ayo Yetunde
"A Letter to My Christian Family Everywhere," by Alum Yolanda Y. Williams
Petitions:
Faith Leaders Petition Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman
Resources:
Anti-Racism Resources for Adults from Ministry Lab
Anti-Racism Resources for Youth and Children from Ministry Lab
Talking with Children and Youth about Trauma from Ministry Lab
Community Watch Resources: Quick Tips for Non-Black Neighbors
Free COVID Testing Sites: If you've attended a protest, vigil, or other neighborhood action in Minnesota, the state recommends getting a free COVID test. No insurance or payment required.
Becoming Human: Dismantling Racism, an anti-racism education series created by United Alum Kimberly Vrudny ('95), Chair of the Theology Department and Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of St. Thomas.
Community Funds and Efforts:
Black Immigrant Collective: The Black Immigrant Collective amplifies and makes visible the voices of Black immigrants in Minnesota.
Black Owned Non-Profits: A list of organizations in the Twin Cities doing work in advocacy, healthcare, the arts, and more.
Black Table Arts: Gathering Black communities through the arts, towards better black futures.
Black Visions Collective: An organization dedicated to Black liberation and to collective liberation.
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha: CTUL is a worker-led organization where workers organize, educate and empower each other to fight for a voice in their workplaces and in their communities.
Du Nord Riot Recovery Fund: Du Nord Craft Spirits is a Black-owned distillery with a building that was damaged. They’ve received "a tidal wave of love and support from across the nation and many have asked how they can help… Therefore, Du Nord is establishing this fund to support black and brown companies affected by the riots.”
Femme Empowerment Project: Venmo @femmeempowermentproject. Skill shares and discussions led by and for QTIIBPOC femmes in the Twin Cities. Creating space for cultural resiliency, healing and ancestral wisdom. Currently organizing supplies and medic trainings.
Headwaters Foundation: The Transformation Fund will make grants to grassroots organizations that provide protesters and community members with immediate needs and to groups that demand change and hold law enforcement and elected officials accountable.
Isuroon: Isuroon is a grassroots nonprofit organization working to promote the well-being and empowerment of Somali women in Minnesota and beyond.
Little Earth Residents Association: Food and safety needs for residents of Little Earth of United Tribes.
Migizi Communications: MIGIZI Communications advances a message of success, well-being and justice for the American Indian community. Support them rebuilding after fire.
Minnesota Healing Justice Network: Provide supportive professional community and mutual aid network for wellness and healing justice practitioners who also identify as IBPOC (indigenous, black, or people of color).
Northside Business Support: Support businesses on Minneapolis’s Northside that have been impacted by recent demonstrations.
Pimento Relief Fund: Partnering with Pimento to provide black business without insurance relief after white supremacists set them on fire during the protests.
Powwow Grounds: Native-run cafe, currently providing meals to elders, protectors and community, purchasing medical supplies, fire supplies, cooking supplies. Send via PayPal to angelswann2021@gmail.com.
Rebuild Lake Street: Organized by the Lake Street Council, 100% of funds will be used for direct support to small businesses and nonprofits to help them rebuild their storefronts, reopen their businesses and serve our neighborhoods.
Reclaim the Block: Reclaim the Block is calling on our city to invest in violence prevention, housing, resources for youth, emergency mental health response teams, and solutions to the opioid crisis - not more police.
Roots Community Birth Center: A Black-owned birth center in North Minneapolis providing community-based midwifery. RCBC increases access to out-of-hospital midwifery care and birth center birth to communities of color, low-income families, and all those who want exceptional prenatal, birth, and postpartum care and to be honored in their experience of welcoming their baby.
The Sheraton Shelter: An incredible story happening in real time. A group negotiated with the owner of the Midtown Sheraton hotel on Lake Street to take over the building as a shelter for people displaced by the damage in the neighborhood. There are now around 100 people living in the hotel. This is run solely by volunteers and the people now living in the hotel. Send an email to the link for an update list of ways to help sustain this effort.
Southside Harm Reduction: Southside Harm Reduction Services works within a harm reduction framework to promote the human rights to health, safety, autonomy, and agency among people who use substances.
Spiral Collective: A volunteer full-spectrum reproductive options and support group comprised of doulas, birth-workers, and passionate reproductive justice advocates. based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, occupied Dakhóta territories.
Support Black-Owned Businesses: A list of Black-owned businesses in the Twin Cities. If you don't live in Minnesota, consider donating a meal or purchasing a gift card to use later.
Twin Cities Distribution Locations: An interactive live map of organizations in the Twin Cities collecting and distributing resources, including updated lists of what's needed.
Women for Political Change: Holistically investing in the leadership and political power of young women and trans & non-binary individuals throughout Minnesota.
Unicorn Riot: A decentralized media organization that has been live-streaming uprisings
YouTube Ad: If you aren't able to donate money, you can click on this video featuring art from Black artists. All the ad revenue goes to Black Lives Matter affiliated organizations, including several listed above. All you have to do is let it play.