MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Amidst a global pandemic and an uprising for racial justice, 2020 showed us the power of young women leading across sectors and sharing solutions for transforming our state and our world.
On January 22, the Women's Foundation of Minnesota (WFMN) and #SHARETHEMICMN launch a three-month collaboration to amplify the work, lives, and stories of the brilliant young Black and Brown women who are leading in Minnesota today. Recognizing that every industry in Minnesota needs the voices and solutions of young Black, Indigenous, and women of color, the #WFMNXSHARETHEMICMN partnership is seizing the moment to power a movement for change.
In a first-ever collaboration, #SHARETHEMICMN is partnering with the Women's Foundation to amplify the voices of WFMN's Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota, representing eight communities across Minnesota most impacted by inequities in economic opportunity, safety, and leadership. These young women and gender expansive leaders will take over the social media channels of a diverse cross-section of statewide leaders to highlight the change that is possible when we put young women who have been pushed to the margins at the center of solutions. Subsequent media takeovers will take place during Black History Month, on February 26, and during Women's History Month, on March 26.
WFMN and #SHARETHEMICMN share a vision of an inclusive and equitable Minnesota where every young Black, Indigenous, and woman of color thrives. "The most visionary and transformational change of our time is being led by young Black, Indigenous, and women of color and gender expansive people," said Lulete Mola, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer of the Women's Foundation of Minnesota. "Sharing the mic is one way we are building, yielding, and sharing power with young women who hold solutions for the most pressing issues of inequity. We must shift every system to ensure young Black, Indigenous, and women of color thrive because when they thrive, all young women, families, and communities will thrive."
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.
Each month, social media channels of four prominent Minnesotans will be taken over by young women leaders from WFMN's Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota, including current and alumnae members of the Young Women's Cabinet, appointed by the Office of Governor, who have been trained as policy advocates, directed nearly $1 million in grants to nonprofits and individuals to advance equity, and engaged in leadership development. Also sharing the mic will be WFMN Innovators who received microgrants investing in their ideas and solutions to create a state where all young women thrive.
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, 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 (WFMN) envisions a world of opportunity, safety, and leadership where women, girls, and all people hold the power to create and lead safe, prosperous lives. Through grantmaking, research, and public policy, the Foundation drives innovative solutions to create gender and racial equity in Minnesota. Founded in 1983, WFMN is the first statewide women's foundation in the country. More at WFMN.ORG.
Media Contact
Jennifer Lowman Day, Women's Foundation of Minnesota, +1 612-236-1828, [email protected]
Robyn Stevens, #SHARETHEMICMN, 856-298-9820, [email protected]
SOURCE Women's Foundation of Minnesota
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