To my dear Minneapolis,

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You shaped more than half of my life. I grew up claiming two hometowns, Omaha, Nebraska, and Minneapolis, where I spent more than thirty years building a life. My little sister Roselyn was born on Portland Avenue, a street that has since become known around the world. We lived on 36th and Columbus while I was in middle school. Every day I walked to the Boys and Girls Club that helped save my life, and afterward I would stop at Cup Foods on 38th and Chicago for snacks. Years later, as an adult, that same corner of 38th and Chicago became a global memorial, the place where George Floyd took his last breath. Racially Conscious Collaboration™ was born in your purple city. You raised my best friend and life partner, celebrated our wedding in unforgettable fashion, and surrounded our children with racially conscious community.

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In 2020, the world looked to you. I looked at you while standing at a gathering on the corner of 38th and Chicago, releasing balloons in honor of George Floyd’s life. It was the same corner where, as a middle schooler, I was first targeted with racial discrimination simply for waiting at a bus stop and being Black, a child. Years later, that same corner became known around the world for a life taken under the weight of racism. In that space, past and present met. Many rose with bravery. While some leaders and organizations did more than protest, reflecting, changing, and becoming Deeply Rooted™ in their commitment to racial equity, others did not sustain much beyond 2020. That distinction still matters.

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Yet we have to be honest about something. We learned in 2020 and 2026 how to push for racial justice in the streets, but the people still struggle to sustain equity in the suites, in office suites, boardroom suites, education suites, corporate suites, and community organization suites, and beyond. The energy that filled the streets has not always followed us into the rooms where policies are written, budgets are shaped, and daily culture is formed until racial equity is permanent.

 

This time, we must see, be, and do differently, and we must stay with it until racial equity and full humanity are not moments, but permanent realities. Even with all the struggle of 2026, I am still up for it, and I believe you are too. My ancestors will not let me stop, and neither will my love for what is possible.

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Although this is a letter to you, Minneapolis, the questions you are facing are everywhere. New York City is Minneapolis. Chicago is Minneapolis. Seattle is Minneapolis. Fort Worth is Minneapolis. New Haven is Minneapolis. Toronto is Minneapolis. As the famous rap and funk group the Digital Underground once said, “All around the world, it’s the same song.”

 

  Racially Conscious Collaboration has worked across the United States and into global spaces, and everywhere we go, your story is present. The world is still watching, not only to see whether we will rise in moments of crisis, but whether we will stay the course and refuse the false claim that racial equity, intersectionality, and inclusion are the problem rather than the solution. By now, if we are still unclear that racism is the real problem, then we have to ask ourselves why we are more comfortable being misled than confronting the truth.

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This is an invitation, not a lecture. Let us close the gap between streets and suites. Let us carry bravery into our meetings, our reflection, conversations, and our collaboration across every sector. Let us practice the steady, relational work that makes the progress stick.

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We are not discouraged. We have seen what is possible when people commit to healthy racial dialogue and collaborative action rooted in Love.

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We love you, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Since racism will not stop, we will not stop.