African American Leadership Forum Twin Cities

10/05/2026

Meet Kehinde, one of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

Black leadership has always been rooted in community, and when we invest in our leaders, our whole community rises.

Kehinde Reuben leads with the conviction that every person deserves access to the tools, knowledge, and support to build something meaningful for themselves, their family, and their community. As Deputy Director of Training at Neighborhood Development Center, she leads program strategy and oversees entrepreneurship training programs for aspiring entrepreneurs, with priority given to low-income and underserved neighborhoods.

Her work spans more than two decades in nonprofits, including youth leadership development and six years in entrepreneurship training. Kehinde holds an MA in Leadership from Augsburg University and a BS in Educational Psychology with a minor in Afro/African American Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.That's the kind of leadership our communities need, and we're proud to elevate her work as a 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellow.

Learn more about Kehinde here https://vist.ly/5m53g and stay connected to meet more of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

10/02/2026

On Tuesday September 29th, the African American Leadership Forum brought together leaders from across the STEAM ecosystem for the In Good Company: STEAM Forward Mixer.

Building a thriving STEAM ecosystem for Black children takes a connected community of people investing in one another, sharing what we know, and building together.

Throughout the evening, key insights were shared from Dr. Jessica Thompson-Dixon and Dr. Karen Bauer of The Forum, higlighting research emerging from STEAM Forward to date—offering ideas and learning that partners can carry into their own efforts across the North Minneapolis community.

We also celebrated our inaugural STEAM Forward grant recipients:

B.E.S.T. (Black, Educated, Successful, Thriving) Young Male Enrichment Program, launching STEAM Summer Splash, an innovation experience for Black young men in North Minneapolis built on design thinking, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and hands-on career exploration.

V3 Sports, leading a year-long planning process for the Northside Sports Medicine Pathways, a sports medicine and human performance career pathway for Black youth that intentionally expands opportunities for Black girls and young women.

STEAM exists everywhere: in the way our young people solve problems, build, create, and imagine. A thriving STEAM ecosystem already lives in North Minneapolis, and our role is to help cultivate the conditions for it to keep growing. STEAM Forward is one of the first direct investments to come out of Northside Forward, The Forum's place-based plan for North Minneapolis, and it sits within the plan's cradle-to-career learning pillar. This work is made possible with support from 3M's STEM and Skilled Trades program and General Mills.

📖 Read the 2026 STEAM Forward Report and learn more about the grant at aalftc.org/grants

10/01/2026

We’re excited to announce the inaugural STEAM Forward grant recipients: Black, Educated, Successful, Thriving (B.E.S.T.) Young Male Enrichment Program and V3 Sports!

Through STEAM Forward, the African American Leadership Forum is investing in the people, partnerships, and community-led efforts aimed at strengthening the North Minneapolis STEAM ecosystem.

Black, Educated, Successful, Thriving (B.E.S.T.) Young Male Enrichment Program will launch STEAM Summer Splash, an innovation experience designed for Black young men in North Minneapolis. Through design thinking, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and hands-on career exploration, participants will work together to develop and showcase solutions that expand what’s possible for their community.

V3 will lead a year-long planning process for the Northside Sports Medicine Pathways, bringing partners together to design a sports medicine and human performance career pathway for Black youth. The initiative will build on V3’s strengths and intentionally expand opportunities for Black girls and young women in the field.

We are proud to support both organizations as they leverage the strengths, relationships, and resources in North Minneapolis to help realize the community’s vision for a thriving STEAM ecosystem. This work is made possible with support from 3M’s STEM and Skilled Trades program and General Mills.

10/01/2026

Meet Marlee James, one of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

Black leadership has always been rooted in community, and when we invest in our leaders, our whole community rises.

Marlee James is a licensed therapist, speaker, and founder of Reviving Roots Therapy & Wellness, a Minneapolis-based mental health and wellness organization rooted in Black healing, collective care, and liberation-focused practice.

Through her leadership, Marlee has built and trained a team offering therapy, wellness programming, retreats, and community healing experiences that make conversations about trauma, relationships, and healing more accessible and culturally grounded. Her work is grounded in the belief that healing happens both individually and in community. That's the kind of leadership our communities need, and we're proud to elevate her work as a 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellow.

Learn more about Marlee here https://vist.ly/5kmx3 and stay connected to meet more of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

09/30/2026

Healing doesn't start at the doctor's office. It starts in community.

Meet Sindiswa Georgiades, Managing Partner of Wellness Paradigm. She is a nonprofit consultant with more than a decade of experience helping grassroots and community-based organizations build their capacity with a mission-driven approach.

At Wellness Paradigm, she brings that expertise to the systems and structure behind a space that offers safe, nurturing holistic health support and serves as an incubator for practitioners launching their own holistic businesses.

In our conversation, she shared: "Many of the [health] practices are not taught by the people that originated them...we are working to shifting the work of who practices this work in community, and who the recipients are."

Black Minnesotans face some of the widest health disparities in the nation, and those gaps are the result of historical harm and systems never designed with us at the center. Closing them takes care that is trusted, culturally rooted, and led by people who understand our lives. When a Black-led practice creates a space for healing and helps other Black practitioners grow their own businesses, wealth and wellness build together.

At The Forum, we treat joy, rest, and healing as essential parts of strategy, and we believe Black health is a story of wisdom and abundance, not just illness. Whole-person health is a matter of justice, and Sindiswa's work shows what that looks like in practice.

Healing doesn't start at the doctor's office. It starts in communit...

09/28/2026

Meet Sam Hall, one of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

Black leadership has always been rooted in community, and when we invest in our leaders, our whole community rises.

Sam Hall is a public-sector equity professional with experience in workforce development, human resources, and organizational operations. Their career began in workforce development, leading initiatives focused on reducing systemic barriers and expanding equitable career pathways for underserved communities.

They currently serve in a human resources leadership role within Minnesota state government, overseeing employee relations, labor relations, training, investigations, and equity-informed workplace practices. Sam is passionate about advancing workforce equity, building inclusive systems, and creating organizational cultures rooted in collaboration and accountability. That's the kind of leadership our communities need, and we're proud to elevate their work as a 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellow.

Learn more about Sam here https://vist.ly/5k62q and stay connected to meet more of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

09/25/2026

Yesterday, on September 24, 2026, something real happened. Northside Forward entered its next chapter.

Leaders and organizations driving our six pillars came together to shape shared strategies and ex*****on plans for 2027. Turning individual efforts into one aligned agenda and solidifying our collective commitment to the Northside Forward Plan.

Together, we stood up pillar teams and shifted from separate tracks to a shared plan for the Northside, rooted in the same spirit of collaboration and community-driven change that guides everything we do at The African American Leadership Forum.

Thank you to everyone who showed up and brought their full selves to this convening. Including Minneapolis City Council Member Latrisha Vetaw (Ward 4), Council Member Pearll Warren (Ward 5), and Kenneth Bailey co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention, who joined us for our Lunch Plenary.

This is only the beginning of the next chapter, and we could not do this work without you.

Learn more about the work of Northside Forward at https://vist.ly/5jvz2

09/24/2026

Meet Bobbi Pratt, one of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

Black leadership has always been rooted in community, and when we invest in our leaders, our whole community rises.

Bobbi Pratt is an educator, advocate, and emerging leader based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with more than 11 years of experience serving youth across diverse learning environments. Her background includes special education, general education, reading intervention, and community-based programming.

She is passionate about advancing equity, empowering young people to advocate for themselves, and creating culturally affirming spaces where students can thrive. Bobbi has also supported youth through Freedom Schools and other community-centered initiatives rooted in identity, leadership, and liberation. As a Black woman and mother, she leads with authenticity, purpose, and a deep commitment to transformative change in education and community. That's the kind of leadership our communities need, and we're proud to elevate her work as a 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellow.

Learn more about Bobbi here https://vist.ly/5jps6 and stay connected to meet more of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

09/22/2026

We went back to the land to find our way forward.

Earlier this Summer, The Forum team traveled to Wild Rice Retreat for three days of reflection, planning and grounding for the work ahead.

We looked honestly at where we've been and dreamed boldly about where we're going. We aligned on our priorities across our six pillars: Economic Prosperity, Generational Wealth, Public Safety, Education, Health, and Environmental Justice.

We sharpened our strategies, strengthened how we work across teams and recommitted to building Radical Black Futures alongside our community. We made plans rooted in our values and grounded in the needs and brilliance of Black Minnesotans.

Among the trees and at the water's edge, we also slowed down and let our nervous systems rest. Health is one of our pillars, and we know that for Black people wellness has never been a luxury. It's a practice of survival and a pathway to liberation. Our ancestors knew the land as healer and refuge. Nature is still medicine for Black bodies, and rest is still resistance.

We were grateful to be joined by Anika Ward of Sankofa Leadership Network, who guided us in looking back at our family histories and the systemic patterns that have shaped our communities, so we can transform how we lead and build today.

We're ready for what's next, and our future is well.

09/21/2026

Meet Hannah Jackson Matthews, M.S.Ed., one of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.

Black leadership has always been rooted in community, and when we invest in our leaders, our whole community rises.

Hannah is an educator, writer, and community leader whose work is shaped by her lived experience as a Black woman, transracial adoptee, and mother. A University of Pennsylvania-trained educator, she founded Hey TRA, which creates resources and programming that support adoptees of color and their caregivers in identity development and belonging.

Hannah currently serves in communications at Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Paul's Rondo community, and she is Communications and Marketing Director at Mercy Vineyard Church. Grounded in faith, storytelling, and collective care, Hannah's work centers belonging, community voice, and collective thriving. That's the kind of leadership our communities need, and we're proud to elevate her work as a 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellow.

Learn more about Hannah here https://vist.ly/5jadh and stay connected to meet more of our 2026 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellows.