TakeAction Minnesota’s Executive Director, Dan McGrath, responded to this afternoon’s announcement that Minneapolis City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden was selected as a Bush Fellow for 2013, as a result of creating and leading on an innovative plan to reduce racial inequities in Minneapolis by engaging the city’s elected officials.
“TakeAction Minnesota stands solidly behind Minneapolis City Councilor Elizabeth Glidden and this fantastic new program she is launching around race equity. The chasm between rich and poor, the growing poverty of kids of color and racial disparities in Minneapolis, is the fight of our time and must be closed. This investment by the Bush Foundation in the people of Minneapolis, and in Councilmember Glidden, is vitally important as Minneapolis works to lift all boats and reverse those disparities that are leaving more and more behind. We are proud of her leadership and look forward to partnering with her as the issues affected by racial inequity in Minneapolis are placed front and center, as they deserve to be.”
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Contact: Deebaa Sirdar, Ward 8 Council Office, (612) 673-2208 or Deebaa.sirdar@minneapolismn.gov
Council Member Elizabeth Glidden awarded Bush Fellowship to help Minneapolis elected leaders implement a race equity agenda
December 11, 2013: The Bush Foundation has selected Council Member Elizabeth Glidden as a Bush Fellow for 2013 to support her leadership in addressing racial inequality. This fellowship will help Minneapolis elected leaders reduce the racial disparities that voters emphasized this election season.
“This honor will help us with leadership tools to ensure that local elected leaders are conscious about how racial equity plays into every decision we make,” said Council member Glidden. “I thank the Bush Foundation for investing in the City of Minneapolis and our ability to close the racial divide that so many in our city must face every day.”
Last month, the growing disparities between whites and people of color was an issue that sent many Minneapolis voters to the polls. The results of the election have led to what will be the most racially diverse Minneapolis City Council in history, including the first Hmong, Latina and Somali councilors.
“I share with Council Member Glidden her vision for a fairer, more equitable Minneapolis where we have eliminated disparities of race and geography,” Mayor-elect Betsy Hodges said. “I appreciate that she is bringing to bear on this challenge an effort to make sure that all municipal elected officials in Minneapolis have a better toolkit for framing and talking about this issue, and I congratulate her on this fellowship.”
“I am so proud to be elected to the Minneapolis City Council,” said Alonda Cano. “I ran on a campaign that was about representing all of Minneapolis, including people of color. We need to dig deeper to make a substantial difference in eliminating racial disparities, one of the biggest challenges Minneapolis faces.”
Council Member Glidden’s fellowship will build on existing work at the City of Minneapolis, including implementation of a racial equity toolkit for evaluating all city decisions, spearheaded by Council Member Cam Gordon and supported by a unanimous City Council.
“This fellowship is an acknowledgement of the important work we must do together on the Minneapolis City Council,” said Council Member John Quincy, a champion of financial equity, improving education outcomes and affordable housing issues. “This fellowship will help us as we work to achieve our City’s goals. I’m proud to continue partnering with Council Member Glidden to make Minneapolis a welcoming place to all our neighbors.”
“Closing gaps in equity is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do, and critical to our future economic prosperity,” said Todd Klingel, President of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce. “This is also an area where the business and elected leaders can share leadership development strategies to help us all succeed.”
“Elizabeth’s commitment to making sure all people in Minneapolis have a seat at the table is the first step toward bridging the gaps in Minneapolis,” said Anthony Newby, Executive Director of MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC). “She has proven her ability to build partnerships time and time again.”
“I look forward to working with and learning from all of my City Council colleagues as part of this fellowship, as we develop tools and focus on engaging in conversations about race,” said Council Member Glidden. “Together, we can continue to develop strong leaders on the Minneapolis City Council who represent all of what our great city has to offer.”
The Bush Fellowship Program supports people who think bigger and think differently about the change they can make in their community. From 1953 until today, the Bush Foundation has invested in great ideas and the people who power them, helping to support and develop more leaders who are better equipped and better networked to effectively lead change. For more information go to www.BushFoundation.org
