Joy Marsh Stephens talks about the Minneapolis Truth and Reconciliation process. 

We know the statistics.

There are opportunity gaps in education.

• By the fourth grade, 50% of all Minnesota children reach reading proficiency, only 31% of Black children are reading proficiently.
• Minnesota enjoys an 83% high school graduation rate overall, but a 67% graduation rate among Black students.

There is an income gap.

• The median household income among White Minnesotans is $71,415. But the median income among Black households is $34,879.
• The poverty rate for White residents is 7%, while the poverty rate is 28% for Black Minnesotans.

There’s a housing gap.

• Black home ownership is 22%, about half the national average.
• Black renters are cost-burdened. 29% of Back residents pay 30 to 50% of their income on rent. And another 27% of Black residents pay more than 50% of their income on rent.

And there is a criminal justice gap.

• Although Black folks only make up 19% of Minnesota’s population, they account for 66% of the use of force by police.

Minnesota has a deep history of racial disparities from slavery to redlining, to mass incarceration.

So, how do we move forward in a way that accounts for past acts, examines current structural racism, and envisions a better future?

There are models that work. A key example of that is the Truth and Reconciliation commission. These commissions were used in South Africa after apartheid, and in Canada, in the wake of the damage caused by Residential Schools. Now, that model is being put to the test in Minneapolis.

Joy Marsh Stephens is the Director of the Division of Race and Equity in the City of Minneapolis. She stopped by to talk about the Truth and Reconciliation process in Minneapolis.

About Joy Marsh Stephens:

Joy Marsh Stephens directs the Division of Race and Equity in the City of Minneapolis. Since joining the City in 2015, Joy has focused on growing the capacity of City staff to integrate racial equity into everyday decision-making, business planning, inclusion activities, and policymaking. Joy partners closely with cities, counties and state agencies across the nation that are also committed to advancing racial equity. Through the federally funded ReCAST Minneapolis program, Joy leads a coalition of staff and community members in reversing the harm of systemic racism through trauma literacy, building resilient communities and shifting systems towards more equitable outcomes.

Joy comes to the City of Minneapolis with over 20 years of experience leading large-scale systems change initiatives in multiple sectors including financial services, healthcare, education, and government. Most recently, Joy led domestic and international systems integration and acquisition projects at the enterprise level for UnitedHealth Group. She enjoys an active public life as well, having volunteered in leadership roles in numerous nonprofit boards, schools and other community groups with a focus on driving racially equitable policy at the municipal and state level for over 15 years.

Joy holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Learn More About Joy Marsh Stephens and the Truth and Reconciliation process:

• Joy Marsh Stephens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joymstephens
• Division of Race and Equity: http://www2.minneapolismn.gov/coordinator/Equity/index.htm

A complete transcript of the interview can be found here: https://antiracistvoter.com/devonna-pittman/

Want to be an antiracist voter? Educate yourself, and then vote all the way down the ballot.  

Who is your County Commissioner? Go ahead. Think about it. I’ll wait.  

There’s a good chance that you have no idea who your county commissioner is. And yet, in Hennepin County, Minnesota, the county commission controls a $2.5-billion-dollar budget.  

Criminal justice, economic justice, environmental justice, education, housing, health, and voting rights all begin with local governments.  

Despite the importance of local elections, only 30% of eligible voters vote in local elections. In many local elections, voter turnout can be in the single digits. And, though 60% of eligible voters vote in presidential elections, many voters don’t vote all the way down the ballot, skipping local candidates and ballot initiatives.  

Today, we’re going to meet one woman who wants to use the office of County Commissioner to deal with some of the disparities in our community.  

De’Vonna Pittman is familiar with the issues in Hennepin County. She works as the Disparity Reduction Coordinator for the county. She is also active in her community. She founded the Minnesota Black Author’s Expo. And, she is a candidate for the Hennepin County Commission, District One.  

A complete transcript of our conversation can be found below.  

Learn More About De’Vonna Pittman: 

De’Vonna Pittman’s campaign website: https://peopleforpittman.com  

De’Vonna Pittman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeopleForPittman  

De’Vonna Pittman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/People4Pittman  

De’Vonna Pittman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PeopleForPittman  

You can find a full transcript of the conversation here: https://antiracistvoter.com/jorge-vasquez/

Voting should be safe, simple, and exercised by every citizen. But, what happens when it is not?

Pop quiz! When is the 2020 US election?

If you said, Tuesday, November 3rd, ding, ding, ding, you’re right.

I would have also accepted the answer, today, September 18, or any day between September 18 and November 3. Let me explain.

In most states, you can request an absentee ballot today. When your absentee ballot arrives, you can go ahead and vote.

In Minnesota, early, in-person voting starts September 18. You can vote in person at your county election office.

And, some cities and towns offer in-person absentee voting. Check with your city clerk's office for more information.

So, important question, what’s your plan to vote? When will you vote? How will you vote? How will you get there? Who else will you take with you?

Voter Suppression is Alive and Well

The 15th Amendment was passed in 1870. It says simply that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

When combined with the 19th Amendment recognizing women’s right to vote, it should be clear that every citizen has the right to vote.

Seems simple, right? But it has never been that simple. After the passage of the 15th Amendment, states put up new barriers to voting from literacy tests to poll taxes.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized the federal government to enforce the right to vote, but it did not end voter suppression.

For example, voter ID laws disproportionately affect black and brown voters. Nationally, around 25% of Black citizens of voting age lack government-issued photo ID, compared to only 8% of Whites.

Laws that ban ex-felons from voting disproportionately impact Black and Brown voters. One out of every 13 Black votes lost their right to vote because of a felony conviction, compared to one out of every 56 non-Black voters.

How do we protect our right to vote? What steps do we need to take to make sure our vote is counted? What do we do if we encounter problems when we are trying to cast our vote?

Today’s conversation is with Jorge Vasquez, the Director, Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project National Office. Advancement Project is a next generation, multi-racial civil rights organization.

Learn More About Jorge Vasquez, Advancement Project:

MN Secretary of State, Elections and Voting: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting

Advancement Project: http://advancementproject.org/home

Advancement Project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdvancementProject

Advancement Project on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adv_project

Advancement Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advancementproject

Advancement Project on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/advprojectdc