IN THE NEWS
Highlights of media coverage featuring the Center for Economic Inclusion from 2018 to present.
The Center For Economic Inclusion 3rd Annual Vanguard Accelerator offers $750,000 for Latina and Black Women-Owned Businesses in Twin Cities - PRWeb, January 31, 2024
City earns top rating in building equitable workplaces
Bloomington Briefing, January 30, 2024
41 Grantees Announced to Support Small Business Success across Minnesota - Red Lake Nation News, December 14, 2023
How to make your workplace more inclusive and develop leadership around DEI
Todd Nelson - Star Tribune, December 4, 2023
Tawanna Black of the Center of Economic Inclusion on their inaugural Racial Equity Index - TPT Almanac, December 1, 2023
Minnesota's inaugural racial equity index shows progress, but gaps remain across communities, Dee DePass - Star Tribune, November 29, 2023
Report: Procurement Diversity a Struggle for Local Governments
Winter Keefer - Twin Cities Business, November 29, 2023
Medtech hubs win Commerce Department designation in funding competition
Jim Hammerand - Medical Design & Outsourcing Online, October 26, 2023
Biden launches 31 technology hubs nationally, including St. Paul
Frederick Melo - Pioneer Press, October 23, 2023
Minnesota's newly designated med-tech hub eligible for millions in federal funding
Burl Gilyard - Star Tribune, October 23, 2023
Greater MSP region wins designation as U.S. Tech Hub for medical technology
GreaterMSP - Global Newswire, October 23, 2023
TeamNEO Partnership Targets Racial Wealth Gap
Business Journal Daily, October 3, 2023
3M, U.S. Bank make progress in diversity efforts, reports Center for Economic Inclusion
Alyxandra Sego - Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Sept. 13, 2023
Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling could affect corporate diversity policies in Minnesota
Dee DePass - Star Tribune, July 11, 2023
Center for Economic Inclusion picks businesses to back in Vanguard Accelerator
Alyxandra Sego - Biz Journals, June 22, 2023
Minnesota diversity index shows companies have made progress — but still have a ways to go
Patrik Kennedy - Star Tribune, June 22, 2023
Center for Economic Inclusion Launches Next Round of Grants for Black, Indigenous, and Latina Business Owners
Star-Tribune, April 19, 2023
Black Leaders: Tawanna Black, Center for Economic Inclusion
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Feb. 9, 2023
Group seeks $10M state appropriation to help close Minnesota's racial wealth gap
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Feb. 9, 2023
Women President Organization Member Interview: Tawanna Black
Women Presidents Organization,
Jan. 20, 2023
Center for Economic Inclusion issues more than $480,000 in grants, loans to business owners of color
StarTribune, Jan. 13, 2023
Center for Economic Inclusion has invested over $450,000 into these minority-owned businesses
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Jan. 13, 2023
H. F. 306, A bill for an act relating to economic development, appropriating money for the Center for Economic Inclusion. The bill was read for the first time and referred to the MN House Committee on Workforce Development Finance and Policy.
MN House of Representatives, Introduction of Bills, Jan. 11. 2023
Program to help BIPOC entrepreneurs underway in TC
The Circle, Jan. 6, 2023
Racial disparity in household incomes of Minnesotans is starting to narrow
StarTribune, Dec. 24, 2022
The Vanguard Accelerator
Almanac, TPT, Dec. 22, 2022
Minnesotans sound off on where state’s $17.6B budget surplus should go
WCCO-TV, Dec. 6, 2022
Building Wealth and Community | The Conversation with Al McFarlane
Black Press USA, Nov. 16, 2022
Minnesota's job market is amazing, unless you're Black
Star Tribune, August 30, 2022
Center for Economic Inclusion Survey Reveals Barriers, Challenges, Opportunities to Boost Central Minnesota Economy
Initiative Foundation, Aug. 25, 2022
JPMorgan awards St. Paul nonprofit $5M to help firms owned by Black, Latina women to grow
Star Tribune, Feb. 3, 2022
Center for Economic Inclusion offers businesses diversity and inclusion assessments
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Jan.19, 2022
St. Paul nonprofit creates racial equity index to help firms shrink equity gaps
Star Tribune, Jan. 18, 2022
2021 Person of the Year: Tawanna Black - Guiding business toward inclusivity and racial equity
Twin Cities Business, Dec. 19, 2021
Video: Interview with Tawanna Black, TCB 2021 Person of the Year
Twin Cities Business, Dec. 7, 2021
Want to reduce violence? Invest in place.
Brookings, Nov. 16, 2021
How an Equitable Economic Recovery Benefits us All
MPR News with Angela Davis, Nov. 15, 2021
Black-owned Media Outlets Pressure Large Companies to Fulfill Commitments
MPR News, Nov. 12, 2021
Tawanna Black Named TCB’s Person of the Year
Twin Cities Business, Sept. 30, 2021
Panelists urge inclusion focus in American Rescue Plan
Finance & Commerce, Aug. 5, 2021
SPECIAL EDITION: Race in America
USA Today, August 2021
Corporate America’s $50 billion promise
The Washington Post, Aug. 23, 2021
MN Legislature failed to address racial disparities
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, July 29, 2021
Legislature failed to enact key racial equity measure
Op-ed by Tawanna A. Black, Brett Grant, and Vayong Moua
Minnesota Reformer, July 20, 2021
After a tough year, Minnesota's Black women entrepreneurs look for ways to expand opportunity
Minnesota Public Radio, July 16, 2021
A year after George Floyd’s murder, corporate promises haven’t made Minneapolis more equal
Op-Ed by Tawanna A. Black and Amy Liu, Brookings
Quartz, May 28, 2021
Real Talk With Roshini
WCCO Radio, April 20, 2021
Minnesota can't afford to squander big opportunity to address racial disparities
Star Tribune, April 19, 2021
How can we ensure an inclusive and equitable economic recovery?
MPR News With Angela Davis Show, guest host Chris Farrell, Mar. 31, 2021
A Conversation on Race with Tawanna Black
Glen Gunderson, YMCA of the North
- Part 1 (Mar. 5, 2021)
- Part 2 (Mar. 10, 2021)
City expunges racial covenants
Finance & Commerce, Mar. 10, 2021
Real Talk with Roshini Podcast - Guest, Tawanna A. Black, Founder & CEO, Center for Economic Inclusion
WCCO News Talk 830AM, podcast, Dec. 20, 2020
Fueling a diverse supply chain in the Twin Cities: An executive discussion
Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, Dec. 16, 2020
“Minneapolis-St. Paul: Let this Be Our Moment. This Economy Calls for Reflective, Authentic Leadership", by Tawanna Black
> Part of Series: What An Equitable Pandemic Recovery Looks Like: Part 2]
Next City, Nov. 2, 2020
The broken culture of policing in America
VELSHI, MSNBC, Sept. 13, 2020
In Minnesota, many Black women entrepreneurs missed out on PPP dollars
Minnesota Public Radio, Aug. 12, 2020
Half of Black workers in Minnesota have lost work during pandemic
Star Tribune, July 18, 2020
Tawanna Black hopes to see a funeral for racism
WCCO Radio 830 AM, Sheletta Brundidge (host), June 24, 2020
Optical Allyship Is Fake Support: 3 Ways Leaders Can Act With Real Impact
Forbes, June 12, 2020
Tawanna A. Black guests on Live With Velshi
MSNBC, June 6, 2020
In George Floyd’s City, Inequalities Are Everywhere
Washington Post, June 6, 2020
In George Floyd’s City, Inequalities Are Everywhere Black communities — and businesses — are at a steep disadvantage in Minneapolis. The rest of the country should ask why.
Bloomberg Opinion, June 6, 2020
Systems of oppression in health care long made ‘invisible,’ Harvard prof says
The World, PRI, June 2, 2020
George Floyd protests recall earlier tensions, promises of economic change
New York Times via Reuters, June 2, 2020
George Floyd’s death demonstrates the policy violence that devalues Black lives
By Andre Perry (Brookings Institute) and
Tawanna A. Black (Center for Economic Inclusion)
Brookings Institute THE AVENUE, May 28, 2020
How COVID-19 could exacerbate inequalities in Minnesota’s workforce
MinnPost, April 30, 2020
Minnesota’s racial disparities require more than rhetoric and outrage
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, April 3, 2019
Twin Cities failing on racial equity, report says
Finance & Commerce, March 26, 2019
The Time for Transit Equity is Now
Minnpost, February 4, 2019
New center takes aim at racial economic disparities
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, May 18, 2018
New organization targets racial economic disparities
Minnesota Public Radio, May 11, 2018
Re-broadcast of POWERING INCLUSION with Arlan Hamilton
Minnesota Public Radio, November 27, 2018
Arlan Hamilton (left) Founder & Managing Partner, Backstage Capital and Tawanna Black (right), Founder & CEO, Center for Economic Inclusion
PRESS RELEASES | STATEMENTS
6/20/23 Media Advisory
Center and Partners Announce Vanguard Accelerator Investments to Support 13 Black, Indigenous, and Latina Women-Owned Businesses in Twin Cities at Summit, June 22
5/22/23 May D. Vang Named to Center for Economic Inclusion’s Board of Directors
6/1/22 Center for Economic Inclusion and Growth & Justice Form New Strategic Alliance
9/14/21 STATEMENT: Response to Governor Walz’s Council on Minnesota’s Economic Expansion
8/4/21 Center for Economic Inclusion Welcomes New Staff and Board
6/29/21 Center for Economic Inclusion Welcomes New Staff
6/8/21 Center for Economic Inclusion Elects New Leadership to Board of Directors
(4/20/21) Statement on the Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial
(1/29/2021) Our Response to Gov. Walz’s FY2022-2023 Budget Proposal
(5/27/20) Call to Action to Dismantle Structural Racism & Economic Disparities in Minneapolis-St. Paul
(5/9/19) Center for Economic Inclusion Names New Chief Operating Officer
(4/24/19) Center for Economic Inclusion to Release New Data on Racial Disparities at First Annual Summit
(2/11/19) Greater Metropolitan Workforce Council Announces New Executive Director
(5/3/18) Center for Economic Inclusion to Launch May 11th
PUBLIC COMMENTS & TESTIMONY
(2/4/21) VIDEO: MN House of Representatives’ House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee
(4:46:00) Testimony by Tawanna A. Black, Founder and CEO, Center for Economic Inclusion
(47:08) Testimony by Andrea Ferstan, VP of Systems Innovation, Center for Economic Inclusion.
Comments, 2040 Comprehensive Plan:
Letter to 7-county metro area regarding comprehensive plans