Joe Eichele

A Series of Immersive Cultural Events

September was a month of celebration of food and culture at the Brian Coyle Center thanks to “We Are Cedar Riverside”, an event series that invited any and all people from across the city to attend cultural immersion workshops hosted at the community center. The event included a series of workshops based around Somali, Oromo, and Native American cultures – three cultures that heavily populate the neighborhood of Cedar Riverside. The series also included Brian Coyle’s annual Multicultural Dinner, which hosted over 700 people and featured food from local restaurants and performances.  

Things kicked off with the Somali Cultural Immersion Workshop on September 9th. Members who attended were provided a rich history of the country of Somalia and its people by a representative from The Somali Museum of Minnesota. Artifacts and textiles from the museum were included in the presentation to show off the country’s beautiful art. After the event, participants were given a feast of Somali foods and flavors provided by local vendors.  

At the Oromo Cultural Immersion Workshop, Dr. Hussien Kedir Kelil of African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS) led a highly informative lecture on Oromia and what life is like for the Oromo people. Dr. Kelil is a PhD holder and an Associate Professor of Policy and Leadership and is a prominent and exceedingly respected influential personality among the Oromo people His presentation illustrated how Ethiopia is widely regarded as a unique and incredible place. The crowd was captivated to learn that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. Spectators got to try Ethiopian cuisine after the event and engaged in discussions about what they had learned.

The Native American Cultural Immersion Workshop wrapped up the series with a presentation from Jennifer Webber an Oklahoma Choctaw Tribal descendant as well as our Youth Operations Manager at Pillsbury United Communities, and Dancina Warner, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. Their presentation focused on the history, culture and current events of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and Dakota Tribes located in the state of Minnesota. It provided exposure to the culture, spirituality, and communities so that audience members could listen to their experiences and feel more educated.  

One of the most anticipated events of the series and of the year was the Multicultural Dinner. This beautiful Fall evening took place on September 21st and consisted of food, performances, and cultural celebration. Lines of food were set up in Brian Coyle’s gymnasium for community members to walk through and dish up a variety of different cuisines. Once their plates were full, they transitioned outside towards rows of tables which were set up to drive conversation and discussion. Performers representing Somali, Native American, Ecuadorian, and Oromo cultures got up on stage to dance while groups gathered by the stage to enjoy. The evening concluded with lots of warm smiles, full bellies, and a rejuvenated sense of community among neighbors.  

Thank you to everyone who came and participated in this year’s workshops and dinner. Events like these are so special when we get to share them with members of our community. Thank you to all the volunteers who put forth their time and energy to serve plates, greet faces, and decorate Brian Coyle Center. Lastly, thank you to our sponsors who helped put on this event and make this year’s annual tradition one of the best it’s ever been.  

Joe Eichele

“Our Stories Our Lake Street” Showcase

On Friday, August 18th, seven of our youth interns voiced their concerns and advocated for change in their community during the “Our Stories Our Lake Street” Showcase at Urban Ventures in Minneapolis. The event was a partnership between Pillsbury United Communities and the Minnesota Humanities Center to celebrate youth voices from in and around East Lake Street.

Our youth interns put in time and effort over the summer to research issues in their community, interview locals, and craft speeches and to create a final film that encapsulated their perspectives. With the mentorship of their youth leader, Kay Carvajal Moran, they created a piece of work that reflected their beliefs and findings. The efforts of their work were on full display during the event. 

The evening started with a social hour as party-goers chatted with the numerous vendors in attendance. Tables were set up for jewelry, fruit, artwork, and more. A food truck occupied the street right outside of the entrance. One of the wildest attractions of the showcase were two piñatas just outside of the building. Both were quickly raided for their sweet treats by the children in an exciting frenzy.

After all the fun festivities, the crowd gathered at the stage to welcome the interns who were ready to present their work. Each intern began with a prepared speech that talked about the different issues citizens face on and around Lake Street. To cater to the audience, a mix of English and Spanish were used. The issues they spoke on ranged from drug and alcohol abuse, housing insecurity, food access, education, etc. It was clear that their time spent on these topics either taught them new things or reinforced what they already felt.

Following their powerful words was what had originally been a set time to screen their film. Due to unforeseen technical issues, the attendees were not able to complete their screening. In lieu of this, however, members of the audience were invited to the stage to share their own words, speeches, or poetry in a moment of impromptu magic. Everyone in attendance left the event feeling assured with the future of Minneapolis being in these students’ hands.

Joe Eichele

North Market 5-year Anniversary

After half a decade of service, the people of North Minneapolis came together for a celebration of food, health, and community. The North Market 5-year anniversary was held on August 19th in the parking lot just outside of the store. Dozens of people were in attendance and partook in the festivities. 

Market-goers at the event were given a free tote bag, yard sign, and meal ticket for a Quince Mpls Mkt breakfast burrito or Wendy’s House of Soul roll. Alongside these attractions was a host of numerous local businesses selling their wares. Books, jewelry, and artwork filled the lot as more and people roamed from tent to tent. Twin Cities Skaters also set up camp and lent out free roller skates to anyone looking to ride. 

The morning wrapped up with a live dance fitness Afrokaribe class hosted by North Market’s Coach Val. Val and her class enjoyed the sun as their music and dance spread an infectious jitterbug to all those around. Her’s, along with a number of other classes and programs are held each week inside North Market’s Community Room and Conference Room. 

The support of the shoppers, class students, and donors helped make North Market’s first five years so special. The anniversary celebration showcased that they continue to support a non-profit that puts priority on neighborhood needs, provides great food and services for fair prices, and continues to be there for the community of North Minneapolis.

Joe Eichele

The Natural Hair Care Institute

Continuing its mission to co-creates enduring change toward a just society, Pillsbury United Communities began a partnership with Natural Hair Care Institute (NHCI) this summer. This organization is the first natural hair training program and trade school in the Twin Cities. Founded in September 2022, the NHCI aspires to be the premier provider of dynamic and innovative programs of natural hair care education and services in Minneapolis.

The NHCI helps train people to care for a career in natural hair care and braiding. They do this by providing up-to-date training with all types of hair textures in their state-of-the-art facilities. Upon completing the 8-week training program, students earn a Minnesota Office of Higher Education-recognized certificate. Techniques taught during the program include extending, locking or braiding of hair by hand and much more.

In order to help cover the cost of attending the program, PUC is offering financial assistance to through its Youth Employment Program. People between the ages of 16-24 and who qualify for various criteria can receive aid to help put them through this program. The NHCI just began its most recent cohort on July 18th and students will be hard at work studying to make the most out of their education. The next cohort does not begin until November 13th of this year and applications are now open for that period.

Through Pillsbury United Communities, students will ultimately receive case management services from a Career Counselor including: goal-setting, support services, gift card incentives and job placement.

Here are some resources

In July, PUC’s Community Voice Intern, Alanee sat down with NHCI’s Founder Kemi to discuss the school and the program’s curriculum.

Natural Hair Care Institute Multimedia Campaign

Additionally, Kemi joined KRSM’s Andrea Pierre on her show ‘The Narrative’ to discuss the program and the upcoming cohort. Watch the video below.

Joe Eichele

The 2023 PUC Summer Youth Showcase

Rather than enjoying time by the lake or playing video games inside, this summer was spent by our youth interns working vigorously at various social enterprises of Pillsbury United Communities. These students spent a large part of their time working as journalists, theater tech interns, radio hosts, film crews, fashion designers, and horticulture workers. To celebrate the work they’ve done, PUC held a very special celebration at Pillsbury House + Theatre on Thursday, August 3rd with the culmination of these interns’ work on display.

The event began just outside the venue where “inside out cars” were on display thanks to the creative theater tech interns. Inside was a booth with a spectacular sound system set up by KRSM Radio. The KRSM interns maintained a live broadcast of the event throughout the night where people of all ages could go live on the air and give a shout out at the event.

Located on the second floor was a hot sauce competition led by the Growing Good interns which, as many could attest, was incredibly spicy. Beside them was a strategically placed cucumber water stand to help combat the heat of the contest. In addition to that was a free produce table where community members received free vegetables grown by the Food Systems interns. North News and the East Lake Street Cohort had displays across from them with storyboards and photos of the amazing work they had done this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, a film screening was projected in the theater. The films were directed, shot, and edited entirely by the students and focused on some of the harsher aspects of life in Minneapolis. Following the film screenings was a fashion show put on by interns at Sisterhood Boutique. Unlike some fashion shows, the models walking were the interns themselves who had designed and crafted pieces of clothes using up-cycled materials as a commentary on the fast fashion industry.

Many thanks to the wonderful community members who came and supported our youth interns. An additional thanks to our parters Best Buy Teen Tech Center and the University of Minnesota. This night was a showcase in how investing in our youth can lead to monumental change for a just society.

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