Black women, girls and femmes: Join the Justice in Institutions Community Action Council!

Help shape the future of how county-funded programs serve Black women, girls, and femmes across the state of Minnesota!

At Research in Action, we believe that community input can’t sit on the shelf. This summer, we launched a statewide survey to connect with hundreds of Black women, girls and femmes to understand their experiences with systems like education, health care, housing, and criminal justice. But that’s just the first step.

Now we need community input to turn that data into a tool that will create real change in how institutions support Black women, girls and femmes across the state.

If you’re a Black woman, girl, or femme ages 14 and up, we invite you to join the newly established Justice in Institutions Community Action Council.

The council will use the results of the statewide survey to build a scorecard that will assess county-funded programs and make recommendations to improve the way they serve Black women, girls, and femmes.

Watch the recording of our info session to learn more about the CAC!

• Role of Council Members

  Community Action Council (CAC) members play a vital role in shaping this five-year initiative. During the first year, the CAC met monthly to help establish a strong foundation for partnership, learning, and co-design. In Years 2 through 5, meetings will shift to a quarterly schedule to support ongoing collaboration, reflection, and review of progress.

  Council members will:

  • Share ideas and recommendations to improve county-funded programs that provide healthcare, housing, education, criminal justice, or other services offered to Black women, girls, and femmes.

  • Co-design evaluation “scorecards” that assess how well these county-funded programs serve Black women, girls, and femmes.

  • Help set and refine priorities that create lasting, positive change throughout the initiative’s five-year span.

  • Participate in discussions and review findings to ensure community voice and lived experience remain centered in every stage of implementation and evaluation.

• Who Should Apply?

  We are seeking Black women, girl and femme council members from diverse backgrounds – cultures, gender identities, sexualities, ages, abilities, and geographic regions – to ensure a wide range of perspectives are represented in these important discussions.

  We especially encourage applications from Black women, girls, and femmes ages 14+ who:

  • Have lived experience or professional experience with county-funded programs that provide healthcare, housing, education, criminal justice, or other services offered to Black women, girls, and femmes — including, but not limited to, housing, cash, and food assistance programs such as MFIP and SNAP

  • Want to be ambassadors for the project in their local community or professional spaces

  • Are willing to use personal experiences to provide and shape recommendations

  • Can commit to attending monthly, two-hour meetings to share their insights

  We are also committed to creating a council that includes communities who are often underrepresented, so we strongly encourage applications from people who identify as:

  • Residents of Greater Minnesota

  • Part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ and queer community

  • Disabled

  • Youth under 24 years old and older adults over 55 years old

• Compensation and Voluntary Participation

  By joining the Justice in Institutions Community Action Council, you can share your voice and contribute to creating more inclusive and effective county-funded programs across Minnesota. In appreciation of your contributions, RIA will provide $50 for each meeting you attend.

  We expect that Action Council members will attend each meeting or follow up with us to give feedback via email if a meeting must be missed. In addition to the monthly meetings, council members are often asked to provide feedback on materials.

• Data Practices and Confidentiality

  Completing this interest form is voluntary. Since this project is conducted in partnership with the Equity in Action Way Foundation, your name and identifying information will not be connected to your responses. We will keep the information you share private and confidential.

Interested?

To be considered, please complete this form by November 18 at 5 pm. We will ask about your personal experiences, interests, and reasons for wanting to join the council. Questions? Email amandabolton@researchinaction.com