ART BLOCKS, an initiative launched in 2013 by Pillsbury House + Theatre, aims to make the rich artist ecology found in neighborhoods visible to everyone and provide opportunities for artists and communities to make and experience art together. In 2022, the project expanded to include each neighborhood served by Pillsbury United Communities. The project focuses on community safety and wellbeing and seeks to engage people in proximity to support each other and deepen connections through the creativity of artists. ART BLOCKS aims to increase community connection, vitality, and safety through ‘creative place keeping.’
Several community events were held at Waite House to promote community safety and togetherness. Sarah M. Greer hosted two music events in her front yard, while Shelly Rainey conducted a beading class and provided sage bundles to her students. Tamales y Biciletas collaborated with various artists, co-hosted community safety conversations and quilt square creations, which resulted in beautiful quilts that were shared throughout the community.
Four individuals from Brian Coyle – Ifrah Mansour, Hamza Noor, Binyam Raba, and Mohamed Salad – have taken steps to promote community safety and engagement in their Minneapolis neighborhood. Ifrah created a Somali hut in Currie Park for kids to engage in activities and learn about co-creating safe communities. Hamza took photographs of Cedar Riverside youth and edited their backgrounds to showcase their family’s heritage, while Binyam painted a large picture of the Lowry Bridge with the Oromo flag to celebrate the Oromo Community Center’s anniversary. Mohamed created a scavenger hunt to encourage children to explore their community, and their pictures were used as conversation pieces to promote community love and communication.
At Pillsbury House + Theatre, Joseph Bard combined hip hop and martial arts to create a safe space for young scholars, while Bayou Bay created a game day at his studio installation to bring his neighbors together. Mankwe Ndosi and Phyllis held an event called “Neighborhood Medicine” to bring people together and teach them about wild medicine, while Con Rice created flags representing the Black diaspora to heighten the visibility of his community. Fernanda Sequeiros created a conversation box called “Spoons that Nourish” to bring people together over a simple meal and foster connections among neighbors.
North Side artists created initiatives such as a Halloween “Fest,” an art-making day, a spoken-word performance, and a summer of community events. Participants in these events describe community safety as involving relationships and connections among neighbors, access to resources and equitable opportunities, and a sense of trust and openness in the community.
To learn more about this community creative initiative read this booklet created by Mike Hoyt – Creative Community Liaison at Pillsbury House + Theatre.
Elizabeth Brisbin
Cinnamon Pelly Named President and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, APRIL 10, 2023 — The Pillsbury United Communities Board of Directors announced today that Cinnamon Pelly has been named the President and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities. Ms. Pelly comes to the agency from Cincinnati, Ohio where she has most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio.
Pelly is an experienced executive with diverse leadership experience spanning community development, education, health and human services, banking and philanthropy. As COO of the Urban League, she oversaw significant renovations to the Cincinnati and Dayton offices during the COVID-19 pandemic which kept the doors open and allowed staff to serve 40,000 in the community. She led negotiations for a 10-year, multi-million-dollar real estate contract for the new Holloman Center for Social Justice. The Cincinnati Enquirer called her an “African American emerging leader to watch,” and she’s been honored with several professional awards for her transformational leadership.
“I am deeply honored to lead Pillsbury United Communities as its next president and CEO. I am fortunate to join a team of incredibly talented and caring executives, staff, volunteers, trustees, and donors who have prioritized a bold vision for justice, equity, and prosperity. Together, we will build on our rich legacy of co-creating enduring change that positions people and communities to reach their full potential.” said Pelly.
Pelly’s first official day at the agency will be April 17, 2023.
“Pillsbury United Communities has been the quiet achiever, fighting for social justice and equity in our communities for over 140 years. The team has been preparing for the next chapter and selecting this new leader was a serious undertaking. We had some wonderful candidates, and we actively involved the entire organization. In the end, Cinnamon didn’t only bring an incredible breadth of skills and experience, but her ability to genuinely connect with people at all levels was amazing. Uniting people is the key to our future. With game-changing directives in play that will positively impact so many parts of the community, the Board is excited to welcome Cinnamon to help begin PUC’s next chapter.” said Heath Rudduck, Chair of the Board of Directors.
“I’m so pleased to have Cinnamon join Pillsbury United. Her breadth of experience, coupled with her commitment to strengthening communities and racial equity are a beautiful combination of talent and passion that align with our agency’s values. I am thrilled to work closely with her in coming months to welcome her to the PUC family and introduce her to our community,” said Pillsbury United Interim CEO Brenna Brelie.
The Pillsbury United Board of Directors retained BroadView Talent Partners to conduct the CEO search in the fall of 2022. “Midwestern born and raised, Cinnamon brings an amazing blend of progressively responsible corporate, non-profit, and community development leadership coupled with exceptional relationship management and fundraising capabilities to the PUC CEO role. Cinnamon will fast-adapt to Minneapolis and the constituent communities served by PUC’s mission and social enterprises. We envision that she will be the perfect catalyst for PUC’s next phase of growth and maturity,” said Tracy McMillan, CEO & Managing Partner of BroadView Talent Partners.
About Pillsbury United Communities
Pillsbury United Communities is one of Minnesota’s most well-established organizations with 140+ years of service to diverse communities across the Twin Cities and beyond. Pillsbury United Communities has an annual operating budget of $16M (including affiliates) and 150 change agents. We are community builders co-creating enduring change toward a just society where every person has personal, social, and economic power. Our united system of programs, neighborhood centers, social enterprises, and partnerships connects individuals and their families across the region. More information about Pillsbury United Communities is available at www.pillsburyunited.org
Shop local at PUC and invest in community this holiday season
It’s December, and we know you are looking for that special gift for all your family and friends. With a broad range of local offerings, Pillsbury United Communities’ social enterprises have you covered this gift-giving season. Not only will you be supporting local small businesses, but you will also be contributing to strong communities.
At Sisterhood Boutique, you will find colorful selections of gently used women’s clothing, accessories, and shoes. Shop sustainably from curated thrifted pieces by the enterprising and stylish women who run the boutique. If you have attended their summer fashion show, you know your style is in good hands! Visit their boutique to gift style to your loved ones, shop sustainable slow fashion, and support a small, local, Black-woman-run business.
Full Cycle 3515 Chicago Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 12 pm – 6 pm
Full Cycle Bike Shop in South Minneapolis is a one-stop shop for your next bike project. From refurbished bikes to plentiful bike parts, accessories and apparel– they’ve got it. Full Cycle isn’t just a used bike shop; the business supports youth experiencing homelessness by providing training and employment, free bikes for transportation, and emergency food access. Stop by during their store hours to find a gift for someone special from their selection of bikes and to support this small business that’s doing big things.
Pillsbury House + Theatre 3501 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Pillsbury House and Theatre is a catalyst for arts-powered social change in the region. Home to “Breaking Ice” and the “Chicago Avenue Project,” the theatre just announced it’s 2023 season line up which includes productions such as “bull-jean stories” and “Naked Stages.” You can buy tickets on their website for your family and friends to enjoy and support community theatre. You can buytickets on their website for your family and friends to enjoy and support this community theatre.
Since its inception in 1991, North News has been the primary local news source in the North Minneapolis community. This year, North News won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists Page One Awards Ceremony, including first place for breaking news coverage and columns, second place for the best issue, and third place for best feature. Gift your family and friends a subscription to North News to keep them apprised on North Minneapolis news from an award-winning publication. Subscriptions are $50 and can be purchased by emailing North News Editor David Pierini at DavidP@pillsburyunited.org.
Our community radio station KRSM broadcasts on 98.9 FM from the East Phillips Community in South Minneapolis.Programming is in 6 different languages: English, Spanish, Somali, Ojibwe, Hmong, and Haitian Creole. In addition, KRSM has a yearly intake of over 200 interns learning media skills through practice. Visit krsmradio.org to support this South Minneapolis community beacon through a donation in your loved one’s name.
North Market 4414 N Humboldt Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55412
Hours: Monday – Sunday 9 am – 9 pm
North Market is a grocery, community wellness, and neighborhood health center with an array of activities, classes, and programs that bring the community together. This local business hires from its Northside neighborhood and stocks produce and products from local vendors. They recently partnered with Wildflyer Coffee, a local coffee shop in the neighborhood. So, stop in at North Market for your groceries and pick up some Wildflyer Coffee for yourself and someone special.
Elizabeth Brisbin
Codifying community wisdom for educational equity
The murder of George Floyd demanded that Minnesota, and the country, reckon with the violent systemic racism in American policing. The pandemic has made similar demands of our education system. The past couple of years were supposed to be a watershed moment of transformative change. Unfortunately, there now exists a narrative (and for the most part, a reality) that little progress has been made.
It has become clear that our systems are unlikely and unable to lead change at the scale of what is needed. The Minnesota State Legislature adjourned with billions left on the table this year. While community groups continue to demand a special session to move critical legislation forward to meet the urgent needs of students across the state, it remains doubtful that the legislature will substantially reconvene and pass an education bill.
At Pillsbury United Communities and our Office of Public Charter Schools, we are not waiting for the political posturing and an election cycle to conclude to move forward with transformational change. We are acting now. The primarily Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income students, and families we serve deserve an educational accountability system that is built for and designed by them.
Pillsbury United has been a community-driven charter school authorizer since 2007. We intentionally authorize schools that serve students who have historically been served poorly in traditional district settings, enduring chronic educational disparities for decades. We come to the work with an investment and a track record of attacking the institutional racism that plagues education.
In 2021 our team set out to redesign our accountability system for the schools in our portfolio to align with our values as an organization and the assets in our schools. Our goal has been to develop an accountability system that celebrates schools’ innovative, anti-racist, student-centered, and community-responsive practices, while also calling all of us to be better and do better.
No longer could we accept a narrative that our students were failing. Our students, families, and communities are incredible assets that bring infinite wisdom to our education system – if only we really listen to them and act.
In our structures, we have codified community wisdom into an accountability framework that is relevant and responsive to our students and not reliant on racist, white normative measurements of assessments. Our Equity Framework, developed in partnership with Future Focused Education, is the highlight of this work and will be submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for approval to ensure our schools report outcomes using our new system for the 2022-2023 school year.
This is the work our students, families, and communities have called for and it has been our mission to deliver.
Adair Mosley, CEO & President, Departing Pillsbury United Communities
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, AUGUST 16, 2022—Pillsbury United Communities Board of Directors announced today that Adair Mosley will transition out of his role as President and CEO. He will leave September 30 and will step into the role of CEO of the African American Leadership Forum in October.
Mosley has been President and CEO for the past five years and has been with the organization for 11. His time as agency leader has spanned philanthropic and community shifts, devastating tragedies, a global pandemic, and an uprising for social justice. Throughout it all, he has been a champion of meeting the moment with transformative innovation and investment. During his tenure, the agency’s budget grew from $12 million to $16 million. His accomplishments include:
Opening North Market, a full-service grocery store in North Minneapolis
Establishing Justice Built Communities, an economic development initiative with $20M in starting capital that will build equity in land, labor, entrepreneurship, and capital for Black Minnesotans.
Receiving a $1.5 million state appropriation to launch a career and early college program.
Securing a $750,000 investment from the Kresge Foundation to launch a policy and mobilization department and $1 million from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota to focus on social determinants of health through cross sector partnership.
Raising $1 million to give every member of the North High graduating class of 2022 a post-secondary scholarship
“When I took over this role, I promised to lead ‘change at the speed of community.’ Today, I leave an organization that is fiscally healthy and even more committed to dismantling systems of oppression,” said Mosley. “I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together. I look forward to my next chapter galvanizing policy makers, philanthropy, and corporate partners in pursuit of community’s agenda, and I look forward to doing it in ongoing relationship with Pillsbury United.”
“Thanks to Adair and his leadership team, the tireless staff, extraordinarily generous donors and supporters, PUC is in an exceptionally strong position,” said Heath Rudduck, chair of the board of directors. “We’ll miss Adair tremendously, but he has helped prepare us for the next chapter of the organization’s growth and its steadfast commitment to the prosperity of the communities, people and places we serve.”
The board of directors is in the process of initiating a national search for the agency’s next leader. In the interim, Brenna Brelie, head of operations, will serve as CEO. Brelie has been with the agency for eight years and played a key role in the leadership transition between Mosley and his predecessor, Chanda Smith Baker.
“I’m grateful to have worked alongside Adair for the past eight years. His visionary leadership has changed the trajectory of this organization, and he will definitely be missed,” said Brelie. “However, I am confident our board of directors will find the next passionate leader to continue this legacy at Pillsbury United Communities.”
About Pillsbury United Communities
Pillsbury United Communities is one of Minnesota’s most well-established organizations with 140+ years of service to diverse communities across the Twin Cities and beyond. Pillsbury United Communities has an annual operating budget of $16M (including affiliates) and 150 change agents. We are community builders co-creating enduring change toward a just society where every person has personal, social, and economic power. Our united system of programs, neighborhood centers, social enterprises, and partnerships connects individuals and their families across the region. More information about Pillsbury United Communities is available at www.pillsburyunited.org
Pillsbury United announces $1M raised for North High Class of 2022
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (April 15, 2022) – Pillsbury United Communities (Pillsbury United), an agency with a 140-year legacy of recognizing and amplifying the assets and aspirations of the communities living in historically underinvested neighborhoods across Minneapolis, announced $1M in scholarship funds raised for the Minneapolis North High Class of 2022 at 3pm on Friday, April 15.
Every senior who graduates this year will receive up to $10,000 for post-secondary education.
Leaders at Pillsbury United envisioned the North High Scholarship Fund in early 2022 as a force to counteract the extreme difficulties this year’s graduating class has uniquely and intersectionally faced during their high school years: the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Public Schools’ educator strike, and disproportionate experiences of community-based violence, most recently the murder of their beloved classmate Deshaun Hill Jr.
“This is a moment for sowing hope into those who have been profoundly affected by the events and losses of the past few years and ongoing entrenched inequities. We believe direct investments in young people are powerful. This fund will meaningfully support students in actualizing the futures of their wildest dreams. We are following transformative models across the country and aim to have a generational impact on prosperity,” said Pillsbury United CEO & President, Adair Mosley.
Roughly 100 students are on track to graduate in spring 2022. Upon successful graduation, each senior will earn up to $10,000 for post-secondary career training or college. Pillsbury United will hold the funds and remit them directly to the educational institutions of students choosing.
Students who do not have an immediate plan will have up to one year to determine their plans. Pillsbury United will make its college and career counselors available during summer hours to support the students through this process. Our counselors are hired from the community, providing students with trusted adults that have similar life experiences.
The North High Scholarship Fund is made possible by the generous contributions from the following foundations and corporations: The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Fund at the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Cargill Foundation, General Mills, McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, Minnesota Twins, Target and the U.S. Bank Foundation.
Pillsbury United welcomes additional contributions to the fund and plans to explore how to continue and expand it in the years to come. Donate here. Media inquiries can be directed to kenzieo@pillsburyunited.org, 651.245.2647.
About Pillsbury United Communities: Pillsbury United Communities is one of Minnesota’s most well-established organizations with 140 years of service to diverse communities across the Twin Cities and beyond. Our mission is to co-create enduring change toward a just society where every person has personal, social, and economic power. We build systems of interconnected programs, neighborhood centers, social enterprises, and partnerships that work together to address complex issues by breaking down barriers and building pathways for people to achieve greater personal health and well-being, places to exist where cultural understanding creates social connections, and prosperity to be shared through equitable education and employment .
About North Community High School: Established in Minneapolis’ Near North neighborhood in 1888, North Community High School is a college-preparatory school where students are equipped to succeed in post-secondary institutions; lead constructive change in their communities; and build ethical careers in a global, competitive marketplace.
Elizabeth Brisbin
Sisterhood Boutique celebrates its 10-year anniversary
We can’t believe that we’ve been here this long. We have been working hard to change lives for the many young women who have been a part of our program. And now it’s time to celebrate!
In 2012, a group of East African girls began discussing the gaps they were seeing in their community—they wanted the same opportunities as the boys! With support from the youth development team at the Pillsbury United Communities Brian Coyle Center, these entrepreneurial young women developed the concept for a resale clothing store and launched the Sisterhood Boutique in 2014. For the past eight years, the Sisterhood Boutique has been providing a safe place for East African girls to learn and grow while providing a valuable service to the community.
Today, the Sisterhood is a thriving youth development program that helps East African young women ages 14-23 develop life and work readiness skills with hands-on experience in the operation of a fully functioning retail business.
OUR MISSION: We encourage East African young women to connect and evolve as leaders and entrepreneurs by creating space to explore, express, and educate each other and their community. Because, we believe the future is for all women.
We are so thankful for the longevity of the organization so far and we are so grateful for the people and donors that have worked along with us throughout the past 10 years!
Sisterhood – Wrapping Women in Confidence
Elizabeth Brisbin
Support Foodshare Month!
At Pillsbury United Communities, we are working to create a long-term solution to food insecurity while meeting the most urgent needs of community. In 2021, we gave away close to 2 million pounds of fresh produce and nutritious ingredients tailored to the unique cultural tastes of our East African, Latin, and Indigenous neighbors. We couldn’t do it without your support. All donations to our food shelves through April 10 will receive a partial match from our partners at Minnesota FoodShare.
Pillsbury United launches Minneapolis Documenters to Boost Government Transparency
MINNEAPOLIS (JAN. 2022) — Local government meetings shape our lives, but these discussions often lack participation from the public. A new participatory journalism initiative from Pillsbury United Communities is making public meetings more transparent and accessible, giving Minneapolis residents the information they need to actualize the change they wish to see in their communities.
Minneapolis Documenters trains and pays community members to take notes at city and county government meetings. We’re building a community-owned public record by centralizing city and county-level public meeting dates, government documents and Documenters’ notes in one location at minneapolis.documenters.org. Notes and summaries are also shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @documenterspuc.
Minneapolis Documenters is led by Pillsbury United Communities’ Civic Producer Jackie Renzetti and Director of Policy and Advocacy Kenzie O’Keefe. Both are former Twin Cities-based journalists and media educators.
“Government doesn’t typically meet community where it’s at; it can be technocratic, time-consuming, and difficult to track. Here at Pillsbury United, we are investing in a Documenters program to remove some of those structural barriers, supporting the community members we serve in building their government awareness and organizing power,” O’Keefe said.
Pillsbury United is inviting local newsrooms and civic organizations to use this resource and share ideas for collaboration.
“We believe sharing resources between news organizations and opening up the reporting process to the public is key to a sustainable, equitable media ecosystem that supports civic participation, ” Renzetti said. “We envision this as a resource that can open new opportunities for collaborative journalism and civic action in Minneapolis and beyond.”
Minneapolis Documenters is an affiliate of the Documenters Network created by City Bureau, a Chicago-based civic journalism lab, in 2016. Since 2018, Cleveland and Detroit have also established affiliate programs. Documenters in these programs have used their experiences to further their careers and interests in fields including reporting, civic action and research. Newsrooms have also collaborated in these cities to pursue accountability reporting based on the Documenters’ notes.
“Public meetings are workshops for local democracy. Across the country, gaps in coverage of these meetings leaves community members less informed and less able to make informed decisions about schools, development or who to vote for in local elections. Access to information from these meetings allows people to hold local officials accountable,” said Darryl Holliday, Executive Director of National Impact at City Bureau. “The Documenters Network informs, engages and equips community members to get civically involved and connect their neighbors to critical information.“
Since the program’s soft launch in mid-December, 22 Minneapolis Documenters have joined more than 1,600 Documenters across the country. Based on engagement with the public, Pillsbury United Communities will focus its Minneapolis Documenters coverage on city and county-level agencies that deal with housing, land use and public safety. The notes will also cover other justice-related issues such as food access, transportation and health.
Documenters are paid $20 hourly for time spent at the training and covering meetings. The only qualification to become a Documenter is attendance at a Minneapolis Documenters orientation. Prospective Documenters – and reporters, if they’re interested in observing – can register here to attend an upcoming orientation, held Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. and Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.
At a time when residents are calling for accountability from both local government and the media, Minneapolis Documenters offers a pathway to building community power by bringing the public into both spaces.
Financial support for the Minneapolis Documenters comes from the McKnight, GHR, and Target Foundations.
About Pillsbury United Communities Pillsbury United Communities is one of Minnesota’s most well-established organizations, with 140 years of service to diverse communities across the Twin Cities and beyond. We serve the Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, and working-class residents of Minneapolis. We have brick-and-mortar locations in the North, East Phillips, Powderhorn and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods. Our mission is to co-create enduring change toward a just society where every person has personal, social, and economic power. In addition to Documenters, PUC owns and operates two other community media enterprises: North News and KRSM Radio.
About City Bureau City Bureau is a journalism lab reimagining local media. We do this by equipping people with skills and resources, engaging in critical public conversations and producing information that directly addresses people’s needs—in the process, we have created locally-driven initiatives like the Public Newsroom and national civic infrastructure like the Documenters Network. Drawing from our work in Chicago, we aim to equip every community with the tools it needs to eliminate information inequity to further liberation, justice and self-determination.
About the Documenters Network The Documenters Network creates new pathways for civic action and public oversight of local government through participatory media by training and paying local residents to attend and annotate government meetings, turning the knowledge, relationships, and capacity of local residents into a powerful community information resource. Today, the Documenters Network is made up of hundreds of people in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Minneapolis who have collectively made thousands of public meetings more transparent, relevant and accessible. For more information, including how you can launch a Documenters Network site in your city, please contact our team at network@citybureau.org.
