Thanks to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder for their exceptional three-part coverage of Minnesota’s leadership around Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls. In the third part of the series published in November 2024, MSR editor Cynthia Moothart outlines the impact of the Missing & Murdered African American Women’s Task Force, including the role of Research in Action in making that task force process different than traditional state work groups…

Research in Action is excited to announce the next phase of our critical work to address the epidemic of violence against Black women and girls. In 2024, the Equity in Action Way Foundation was awarded a Bush Community Innovation Grant and contracted with RIA to embark on a five-year process to 1) assess how Black women and girls perceive their level of vulnerability to violence and 2) measure the progress of key state agencies toward reducing Black women and girls’ vulnerability to violence.

After 18 months of deep listening with community and extensive data analysis, we were honored to join the West Side Community Organization (WSCO) last night for the public launch of our new report "From the Flats to the Future: Understanding Displacement on Saint Paul's West Side."

Ayize James is Research in Action’s Research Support Specialist. In Research in Action’s work on the Nexus Open Road Fund, Ayize played a central role in co-creating the definition of Black wealth. Learn more about Ayize in this Staf Spotlight.

Dr. Brittany Lewis, CEO and founder of Research in Action and a senior research associate at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, helped the task force gather the relevant data and information to guide the creation of an Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women. Read more.

Disturbed by this data, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity got to work with Research in Action, a nonprofit research education organization. CEO Brittany Lewis’ first suggestion for Habitat was to “build a new table.”

Emma Wu is Research in Action’s Special Projects Manager. In 2022, Emma was RIA’s project lead on the Artists & Justice Research Project, produced for the McKnight Foundation. Learn more about Emma in this Staff Spotlight.

The Twin Cities is known to have one of the biggest disparities in homeownership in the country between Black and white Americans. There are many systemic reasons for this gap, one of which can be traced back to a practice that developed at the turn of the 20th century. WCCO looked into how racially restrictive covenants have, over the years, shaped the Twin Cities area.

Minnesota has become the first state in the country to establish a task force on missing and murdered African American women. Advocates say the initiative is long overdue. Gov. Tim Walz made it official in a ceremonial bill signing earlier this week. The 12-member panel includes representatives from the courts, law enforcement and victim advocacy groups.