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Press Release

SHARETHEMICMN and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota Collaborate to Amplify Young Women’s Voices for Change in Women’s History Month

To honor International Women’s Day on March 8 and kick off Women’s History Month, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and Share the Mic MN are collaborating for the second time to amplify the work, lives, and stories of the brilliant young Black, Indigenous, and women of color who are leading in Minnesota today.

Through the #WFMNXSHARETHEMICMN partnership, Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota leaders will take over the social media channels of established statewide leaders to celebrate the leadership and power of Minnesota’s young women and gender-expansive leaders as they advocate for change, raise awareness against bias, and take action for equity. Over the next month, four mic shares will highlight the leadership and voices of young women from the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN), while expanding their platforms to shift systems and share solutions for our most pressing issues of inequity.

As statewide leaders share their social platforms and networks, they are sharing power with young leaders, recognizing that every industry in Minnesota needs the voices and solutions of young Black, Indigenous, and women of color.

WFMNXSHARETHEMICMN believes that we make a difference when we commit to leading by example. We all have a role to play in creating a world where women and girls thrive – with representative leadership in every sector, equity and justice in our policies, and dignity and respect for all people.

Through a video interview, social posting, and more, pairs will connect over their shared passions for advancing equity and inclusive policy by creating space for women and leaders of color at decision-making tables across the state. The campaign challenges all leaders to hold the door open for young women seeking to use their voices and expertise to improve Minnesota.

“Mic shares” scheduled to take place in March and April will feature:

  • The week of March 7, Tuleah Palmer, President and CEO of the Blandin Foundation, will share the organization’s Facebook and Twitter social channels with Young Women’s Cabinet member, Deilyah “Asin” Dexter an enrolled member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and a 4th year student at Bemidji State University will share the endless opportunities found in language revitalization.
  • The week of March 14, James Burroughs, Vice President, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer of Children’s Minnesota, will share his LinkedIn social channel and Children’s MN blog, “In the Burroughs” with WFMN Innovator Monali Bhakta, a 2021 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College who plans to attend law school in the fall. Monali will share how living through the pandemic has inspired her as an advocate to elevate the lived experiences of marginalized communities.
  • The week of April 5, Senator Patricia Torres Ray, Minnesota State Senator from District 63, will share her LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter social channels with Young Women’s Cabinet member Anisa Omar, a graduate of Minnesota State University Mankato, who is committed to creating an equitable and just society for all, inclusive of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and social class. Anisa will share why advocating for more inclusive policies should not rely solely on the individuals who experience oppression.
  • The week of April 12, Minnesota’s first Latina mayor, Maria Regan Gonzalez, Mayor of Richfield, and the Systems Director of Equity Initiatives for M Health Fairview, and Vice President of Strategy and Food Systems for Haystack Data, will share her LinkedIn social channel with Afiya Ward, a second-year student studying Agriculture Business Management at Florida A&M University and a WFMN Innovator who will share the youth leadership development work that she has done throughout Minnesota.

“Women’s history is being written this very minute. Each YWI MN leader sharing the mic this month is already leading and showing us the way. It’s time we listen to young Black, Indigenous, and women of color and invest in their leadership because they truly are transforming our world for the better.”

Gloria Perez, President and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota

Leaders from the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota represent eight communities across Minnesota most impacted by inequities in economic opportunity, safety, and leadership. The four leaders taking over the mic shares include current members of the Young Women’s Cabinet, appointed by the Office of Governor, who have been trained as policy advocates, directed $2.5 million in grants to nonprofits and individuals to advance equity, and engage in leadership development with the YWCA Saint Paul. Also sharing the mic are WFMN Innovators who receive direct microgrant investments in their ideas and solutions to create a state where all young women thrive.

WFMN and #SHARETHEMICMN share a vision of an inclusive and equitable Minnesota where every young Black, Indigenous, and woman of color thrives. Founded by Jasmine Brett Stringer in June 2020, #SHARETHEMICMN expands the reach of Black and Brown women in Minnesota with connections that extend beyond a one-day media takeover. “Collaborating with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s Young Women’s Initiative is a natural fit for #SHARETHEMICMN because it supports our greater mission of making Minnesota a more equitable state. It’s important that we bring disenfranchised and often unheard younger women on the journey with us and help them amplify and expand the reach of their voices as it pertains to the impactful work they’re doing in their communities and our state,” said Jasmine Brett Stringer, founder of #SHARETHEMICMN and Carpe Diem with Jasmine.

About Share the Mic MN

SHARETHEMICMN was established to give Black and Brown women in Minnesota additional exposure through connection and engagement with new audiences by amplifying their work, lives, and stories by expanding the reach of their voices. The goal is that these new conversations and relationships develop into a deeper understanding that will be impactful in tackling and overcoming unconscious biases, racial injustices and racial inequities. Through storytelling, relationship development, programming and collaborations #SHARETHEMICMN strives to help make Minnesota a more inclusive and equitable state.

About the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota

Launched by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota in partnership with the Governor’s Office in 2016, the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment that centers the leadership and solutions of young women of color and gender expansive youth, American Indian young women, young women from Greater Minnesota, LGBTQ+ youth, and young women with disabilities.

About the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota is a statewide community foundation investing in innovation and systems change for gender and racial justice. The Foundation envisions a world of opportunity where all women, girls, and gender-expansive people across intersecting identities – and their families – have the power to create and lead safe, prosperous lives. Founded in 1983, it is the first statewide women’s foundation in the country. More at WFMN.ORG.

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