The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations today announced noted civil rights leader and nonprofit executive speaker Rashad Robinson as the keynote presenter for the annual Facing Race Awards. This year’s event, Facing Race: Changing the Narrative, celebrates The Foundations’ commitment to anti-racism efforts and will be held on September 18, 2017, at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts at 6:30 p.m.
Robinson is the executive director of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. As a force driven by over one million members, Color Of Change moves decision makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for all people. The organization actively encourages the use of narrative change to dismantle stereotypes related to African American men, women and people of color.
Robinson is celebrated for his work across the globe on narrative change and will speak to the attendees about his efforts to actively change stereotypes. “Color Of Change has always believed that we cannot solve the problem of racism in one area without addressing it in others, and that achieving racial justice requires an integrated approach: from culture and media representations to policy solutions to the narratives about race and racism embraced by the media. Especially at the local level, where so many decisions affecting our lives play out, we always face setbacks in our work when we do not take narrative change seriously,” said Robinson.
The Facing Race Awards, now in its eleventh year, honors individuals and organizations working to eliminate racism and its effects throughout the state of Minnesota. The Awards are part of the Foundations' ongoing commitment to racial equity and offer the opportunity to recognize community members who are courageously transforming the region and state.
Two awardees will be selected by a panel of community judges and each awardee will receive a $15,000 grant to designate to a nonprofit of their choosing. Awardees will be honored at the public ceremony on September 18 at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.
Dr. Eric J. Jolly, president and CEO of The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations offers, “Advancing racial equity is a core priority and value for The Foundations. Everyone who has been engaged with this award has attributed to that value. We are honored to celebrate members of our community who are active agents for change and use their voices to effect narrative change and dismantle stereotypes. We will continue to use the Facing Race Awards as a powerful platform to honor those who use their voices and inspire others to participate in the process.”
“I am strongly encouraged and inspired by the commitment to racial equity and healing on the part of The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations. I am also excited to celebrate their work and the work of so many racial justice champions working to effect real change throughout Minnesota at the upcoming Facing Race Awards," said Robinson.
The theme of narrative change echoes a recent grant to The Saint Paul Foundation by the Kellogg Foundation. A further announcement about the nature of this grant will be made in conjunction with the event in September. For more information on Facing Race: Changing the Narrative, click here.
About Rashad Robinson:
Rashad Robinson is the Executive Director of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. As a force driven by over one million members, Color Of Change moves decision makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people, and all people. Rashad has developed winning strategies to change the rules of many fields affecting Black people’s lives: employment and the economy, voting and politics, news and entertainment, criminal justice. He has appeared in hundreds of media outlets including ABC, CNN, MSNBC, BET, NPR, The New York Times and Huffington Post. He was a 2015 EBONY Magazine "Power 100" honoree, and on “The Root 100” for the last six years. Fast Company named Color Of Change the 6th Most Innovative Company in the world (2015), and the Stanford Social Innovation Review profiled its strategies for “pursuing the fight for racial justice at Internet speed” in both online and offline venues.
About The Saint Paul Foundation
Since 1940, thousands of generous individuals committed to the Saint Paul area have made charitable gifts to The Saint Paul Foundation. Today, the Foundation is the state’s largest community foundation. Guided by the legacy of its earliest donors, the Foundation today helps donors achieve their charitable giving goals and have long-lasting impact in the community. Learn more at saintpaulfoundation.org.
About Minnesota Community Foundation
Founded in 1949, Minnesota Community Foundation is an innovative leader in philanthropy. Recent creative ventures include GiveMN.org and the Minnesota Idea Open. The Foundation helps Minnesota donors support the causes and communities that matter most to them. Learn more at mncommunityfoundation.org.