Partners and Sponsors

Partners and Sponsors included community and civic leaders (business, philanthropic, religious, non-profit, academic), educators, legislators, judges, lawyers in public and private practice and counsels at major corporations, criminal justice officials, community members, and persons impacted by the criminal justice system (particularly persons of color).

Our Call-to-Justice partners helped us plan and organize the Forum by:

Lent their names to the effort
Helped identify other partners and potential attendees
Provided input regarding Program content, format and speakers
Provided feedback on the Program, and
Participated at the Forum

The generous contributions of our Sponsors allowed the Council to raise public awareness regarding racial disparity in the justice system.

The Council on Crime and Justice greatly appreciates all the sponsor and partner efforts in helping make the Call-to-Justice a success.

Partners

African American Family Services

The mission of African American Family Services is to help African American individuals, families and communities reach a greater state of well-being through the delivery of community-based, culturally specific chemical health, mental health, and family preservation services.

African American Men Project

The African American Men Project (AAMP) is a strategic initiative that strives to enhance and empower African American men and their families through leadership, policy-making and infrastructure building in the areas of education, housing, family structure, health, economic empowerment, criminal justice, community involvement, fundraising and communications.

African American Women and Men In Need

Contact: Reverend Mary Spratt

African American Women and Men in Need mentors young African American women and men and assists them in attaining betterment of self and their career goals through hard work, dedication, trust, and discipline.

Al Furqan Educational Institute

Al-Furqan Educational Institute is a 501C non profit organization committed to the betterment of society through education. Its goal is to promote excellence through behavior, education, understanding, and charitable giving and actions. They have two programs running parallel in our organization: the Prison Outreach program and the Youth program.

American Indian Policy Center

The American Indian Policy Center conducts research on Indian issues that are not reported in current literature.

AMICUS

AMICUS is a Minnesota not-for-profit organization with over 39 years of experience in improving public safety by helping inmates and ex-offenders through positive relationship-building, restorative justice practices and individualized transition services.

Barbara Schneider Foundation

Barbara Schneider Foundation, BSF, and Minneapolis Police Department, MPD, have been working together to improve mental health crisis response. BSF and MPD approach mental health crisis response from different perspectives, as mental health community members and as guardians of public safety.

BIHA Women in Action

Black, Indian, Hispanic and Asian Women in Action (BIHA) was established in March 1983 in recognition of a lack of communication and information sharing within and between Communities of Color regarding family violence. BIHA was created to provide education, information and advocacy for and by Communities of Color and to serve as a forum for translating current concerns (family violence, racism, ageism, AIDS, chemical abuse) within communities of color for presentation to society as a whole.

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

Chicano Latino Affairs Council

The Chicano Latino Affairs Council (CLAC) is a statewide government agency created by the legislature in 1978. The primary mission of CLAC is to advise the governor and the state legislature on the issues of importance to Minnesota's Chicano Latino community.

CLUES

CLUES is Minnesota's premier Latino social and behavioral health services provider. It provides a continuum of five core services: Mental Health, Chemical Health, Education, Employment and Elder Wellness. CLUES has offices in both St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Dignity Center

The Dignity Center is a homeless drop-in center run by the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.

General Mills

The General Mills Foundation focuses its grants around the areas of youth nutrition and fitness, education, arts and culture, social services, and the United Way. It has recently granted $500,000 for projects focused on communities of color.

Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches

The Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC) battles poverty in Minnesota. It operates a successful family of social service programs and recruits support across denominational lines to help struggling Minnesota families remain self-reliant.

HACER

Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER) is a nonprofit, community-based research organization. HACER identifies research needs and delivers quality research products that strengthen the Latino communities of Minnesota.

Hawthorne Community Council

The Hawthorne Community Council's mission is to improve the quality of life in the Hawthorne neighborhood through empowering the residents in order that they can address the physical, cultural, social, and economic needs of the community.

Headwaters Foundation for Justice

Headwaters supports the grassroots community. It offers a comprehensive program of funding and organizational development designed to increase the impact and strength of community-based organizations.

Hennepin County Bar Association

The HCBA exists to serve the needs of its membership by advancing professionalism, ethical conduct, diversity, competence, practice development, and collegiality in the legal profession. The association strives to ensure the fairness and accessibility of the legal system, promotes public understanding and confidence in our system of justice, and works with the courts to improve the administration of justice.

Hennepin County Community Corrections

Community Corrections operates three correctional facilities (the Adult Corrections Facility, the Juvenile Detention Center and the County Home School), provides adult and juvenile probation services, and provides services to Family Court. In addition, the Support Services Division includes Research and System Technology, Contract Services, and the Sentencing to Service program; and provides administrative and fiscal support services to the operating programs of the department.

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

HCCM is a well-managed, national award-winning-nonprofit community and economic development organization that provides training, technical assistance, workforce development and other resources to Latino individuals and entrepreneurs. It is managed by 9 unpaid, all professional Latino Board of Directors and presently has over 220 members.

Institute on Race and Poverty, University of Minnesota

The Institute on Race & Poverty (IRP) investigates the ways that policies and practices disproportionately affect people of color and the disadvantaged. A core purpose for IRP's work is to ensure that people have access to opportunity. Another is to help the places where people live develop in ways that both promote access to opportunity and help maintain regional stability.

Itasca Project

The Itasca Project is an association of forty-plus community leaders including CEOs, the Governor, the Mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the President of the University which aims to provide leadership for long-term regional development and competitiveness of the metropolitan area; accelerate efforts that are underway to address critical issues from a regional perspective; and encourage organizations to work together and better leverage their resources.

Jewish Community Action

Jewish Community Action's mission is to bring together Jewish people from diverse traditions and perspectives to promote understanding and take action on social and economic justice issues in Minnesota.

Latino Economic Development Center

The mission of Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) is to transform our community by creating economic opportunity for Latinos. LEDC provides strategies, structure, and tools with which to remove systemic barriers and promote sustainable communities.

Latinos en Accion

Contact: Angel Morales

Latinos en Accion organizes Latino advocacy efforts and social services in the Corcoran, Howe, and Longfellow neighborhoods.

Legal Rights Center

The Legal Rights Center (LRC) represents, without charge, low-income people and people of color who have legal problems associated with the juvenile justice, criminal justice, and child welfare systems.

Masjid An-Nur

Masjid An-Nur is a mosque, made up primarily of African American converts, that is very active in social advocacy and policy.

MARRCH

MARRCH is a professional association of chemical health agencies and individuals striving to raise awareness about the important issues surrounding chemical dependency and the power of recovery. As a collective body, MARRCH works to educate, support and guide individuals and agencies while speaking with a unified voice in public policy venues.

Metropolitan State University

Metropolitan State University serves adults and younger students in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In addition to an individualized Bachelor of Arts, Metropolitan State offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees with a number of majors and a Bachelor of Social Work.

Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors

Contact : Norma Renville

Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors is a loose colation of leaders of the American Indian community within the metropolitan area. It is a joint meeting point for the heads of different American Indian organizations.

Minneapolis Community and Technical College

MCTC's mission is to provide high quality, lifelong learning programs. They offer a spectrum of academic programs, including certificates, diplomas and associate degrees. Many of our programs transfer to four-year colleges, while others prepare students for the world of work.

Minneapolis Downtown Council

The Minneapolis Downtown Council is an organization of downtown business representatives that operate to further joint interests.

Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation is a statewide center for philanthropy, where Minnesotans make a difference every day.

Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak

R.T. Rybak has served as Mayor of Minneapolis since January of 2002.

Minneapolis NAACP

Contact: Duane Reed

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

Minneapolis Police Department

The Minneapolis Police Department's mission is to implement effective prevention strategies and reduce crime in collaboration with the community and our criminal justice partners.

Minneapolis Urban League

The Minneapolis Urban League's mission is to provide human services and advocacy that will enable African Americans and other minority group members residing in the greater Minneapolis Metropolitan Area to cultivate and develop their individual and group potential on a par with all other Minnesotans.

Minnesota AIDS Project

The Minnesota AIDS Project (MAP) is a statewide, nonprofit agency committed to enhancing the lives of people living with HIV, prevention education for those at risk for HIV, and advocating for the rights of all affected by HIV. From community outreach and legal consultation to emergency financial assistance, MAP is a leader in the fight against HIV.

Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans

Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) is an IRS 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been directly helping veterans and their families affected by homelessness in Minnesota for over 13 years.

Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers

The Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers (MABL) is the leading minority bar association organized to promote and support the professional development of Black lawyers, judges, and law students in Minnesota. To this end, MABL is committed to the overall goal of representing the interests of Black citizens and their community in the legal profession and in the judicial system throughout the state.

Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber acknowledges the commerce generated from disparities and the disaggregated consumerism of our community. It promotes strategies to capture the revenues to secure economic benefits.

Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless

The Coalition represents a wide array of constituencies and interests, including people who have experienced homelessness, low-income service providers, advocates for people who have experienced homelessness, labor groups, local units of government, and community activists. The Coalition's mission is to generate policies, community support, and local resources for housing and services to end homelessness in Minnesota.

Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association

MHBA is a non-profit association dedicated to advancing the interests of Hispanic attorneys and law students in Minnesota. MHBA strives to promote professional growth and opportunity for Latino law students and attorneys, to provide community service and to ensure access to justice for all.

Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center

The Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center (MIWRC) is a non-profit social and educational services organization committed to the holistic growth and development of American Indian women and their families. MIWRC provides a broad range of programs designed to educate and empower American Indian women and their families, and to inform and assist those who work providing services to the community.

Minnesota Justice Foundation

The Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) meets the legal needs of low-income and disadvantaged Minnesotans through programs that pair volunteer law students with legal services agencies.

Minnesota Psychological Association

The Minnesota Psychological Association is a professional membership organization for psychologists in Minnesota united to enhance psychological practice and respond to the needs of the public sector.

Minnesota Public Defenders

The Minnesota Board of Public Defense is responsible for the work of Public Defenders in Minnesota, and provides funding for Public Defenders and partial funding for Public Defense Corporations.

Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Fairness Committee

Contact: Barbara Damchik Dykes

The Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Fairness Committee addresses concerns about the timeliness and cost of bringing cases to court and the judiciary's treatment of persons of color. It performs research and outreach to assess and improve the judicial system.

Muslim American Society

Muslim American Society (MAS) is a charitable, religious, social, cultural, educational, and non-profit organization. It is a pioneering Islamic organization, an Islamic revival and reform movement that uplifts the individual, the family, and the society.

Neighborhood House

Neighborhood House is a multicultural, multilingual community center that works with families and organizations to enhance personal growth and foster community leadership on St. Paul's west side. Programs include English classes for new immigrants, a Hmong-American unity group, health access programs, a Latino woman's group, GED classes, refugee settlement, and basic needs (i.e. rent, food, furniture).

Neighborhood Justice Center

The Neighborhood Justice Center is a community law office dedicated to providing comprehensive criminal defense services for low income persons, emphasizing outreach to communities of color. The agency focuses its work in St. Paul and the surrounding East Metro area.

NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center

NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center (NHWC) is committed to helping the members of our community live happier, healthier lives. NorthPoint is a one-stop center for medical, dental and social services that also provides interpreters for non-English speaking patients.

Organizing Apprenticeship Project

The Organizing Apprenticeship Project (OAP) works to strengthen communities organizing in Minnesota by increasing the number, effectiveness and diversity of community organizers, leaders and organizing projects in the state. The OAP is currently working with the Applied Research Center to implement a two-day training curriculum on race. In the future, they may also construct race equity report cards on legislators in Minnesota.

Ramsey County Bar Association

The Ramsey County Bar Association is a professional membership organization for attorneys who either work or live in Ramsey County.

Ramsey County Community Corrections

Ramsey County Community Corrections strives to build safe and healthy communities through interventions that promote personal change and accountability.

Resource Center of the Americas

The Resource Center of the Americas informs, educates and organizes to promote human rights, democratic participation, economic justice and cross-cultural understanding in the context of globalization in the Americas.

RS Eden

RS Eden is a leader in delivering effective services to Minnesota and surrounding communities. RS Eden facilitates positive change in the areas of chemical dependency, family services, corrections and affordable housing.

Sabathani Community Center

Sabathani Community Center develops empowerment programs that focus on skill development. Sabathani is a modern-day settlement house for the area's most-recent immigrants and refugees, which includes Somalis, Chicanos/Latinos, Southeast Asians, and Russians.

(Congressman) Martin Olav Sabo

With more than four decades of elective public service, Congressman Martin Olav Sabo has "distinguished himself through a long and honored tenure in the House," according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He is primarily known for his ability to bring life to policy decisions through the budget and appropriations process.

Saint Paul Foundation

The Saint Paul Foundation's mission is to actively serve the people of the greater Saint Paul area by building permanent charitable capital, making philanthropic grants, and providing services that contribute to the health and vitality of the community.

Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman

Chris Coleman has served as Mayor of Saint Paul since January 2006.

Saint Paul NAACP

Contact: Nathaniel Khaliq

Saint Paul Police Department

Salvation Army Harbor Light Center

Motivated by the love of God, as a leader in Christian faith-based human services, The Salvation Army is committed to serve the whole person, body, soul and spirit with integrity and respect, using creative solutions to positively transform lives.

StreetWorks

StreetWorks is a collaborative effort among 13 youth-serving agencies that offer an array of housing options and services, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, drop-in centers, meal sites, clothing, HIV/STD prevention, medical care, mental health counseling, alcohol and chemical dependency treatment, employment opportunities, educational programs, and life skills programs

Summit Academy OIC

For those individuals who aspire to provide a better life for themselves and their families, Summit Academy OIC (SAOIC) instills self-discipline and offers hope and progress.

Turning Point, Inc.

Turning Point, Inc. is an African American social services organization known for its holistic approach to counseling and treatment which has served the community since 1976.

Twin Cities RISE!

The mission of Twin Cities RISE! is to provide employers with skilled workers--primarily men from communities of color in the Twin Cities area--by training under- and unemployed adults for skilled jobs that pay a living wage of at least $20,000 per year with full benefits. Twin Cities RISE! graduates ex-offenders as well.

Women Planting Seeds

"Women Planting Seeds" mission is to help people leaving jails or prisons re-engage with family and community as their lives become more successful.

Youthlink

YouthLink creates meaningful and healthy relationships with youth and the community so that doors of opportunity are opened to a future of empowerment and self-sufficiency.