Black Collective Foundation MN Announces 12 Minnesota Leaders Selected for New Suns Fellowship

$120,000 in grants to support organizing for community centered civic action 

March 6, 2025

Minneapolis, MN — The Black Collective Foundation Minnesota (The Collective) today announced the latest cohort of the New Suns Fellowship, an initiative that supports the genius of Black-led change by investing in organizers and leaders engaged in community centered civic action.

“In this pivotal time, we at The Collective believe that to create a lasting impact, we must nurture an ecosystem that supports Black-led change beyond election cycles, harnessing civic engagement year-round,” said CeMarr Peterson, Sr. Director of Impact, Black Collective Foundation MN. ”Through the New Suns Fellowship, we are investing in a durable ecosystem for visionary social change. These fellows are leading transformative work in our communities; we are proud to support their leadership and wellbeing and to have their brilliance and genius guiding our work.”

The 12 leaders demonstrate a commitment to community-centered civic action and a track record of driving social change. Building on the positive momentum and legacy of the 2020 uprisings, the fellowship supports leaders who are organizing for durable, transformative infrastructure and power within their communities. Each fellow receives $10,000 in flexible funding to support their efforts. 

The 2025 New Suns Fellows are:

  • Founder and Executive Director, T.O.N.E. U.P. Inc.

    Antonio Williams is the voice of people who can’t advocate for themselves — and a story of hope. Incarcerated for 14 years, Williams found meaning in mentoring other Black men and organizing them to stand up for their rights, including leading a prison strike that got results. Williams triumphed over his circumstances and now empowers formerly incarcerated Black and Brown people to help themselves and others by connecting them to resources and offering personal and leadership development, healing opportunities, and political education to fight for legislation like restoring voting rights. Through his organization TONE UP, Antonio wants to help create a space where people do not have to choose between fighting for their continued liberation and economic viability; he wants to inspire and help people to heal and rebuild their lives.

  • Founder and Executive Director, Memorialize the Movement (MTM)

    Leesa Kelly is an activist, writer, public speaker, and curator. Leesa is the Founder and Executive Director of Memorialize the Movement (MTM), a living archive located in Minneapolis dedicated to the preservation and activation of over 1,000 plywood murals that emerged following George Floyd’s murder and the Minneapolis uprising in 2020. Through her work with Memorialize the Movement, Leesa has spoken at over 20 conferences and universities, organized 10 large-scale exhibitions in the Twin Cities and New York, published a catalog of the murals titled Art and Artifact: Murals from the Minneapolis Uprising, and led workshops on cultivating BIPOC representation and visibility in the museum and conservation industry. She believes in dismantling oppressive systems and rebuilding new systems that work for ALL people.

  • Founder and Executive Director, Ayada Leads

    Dr. Habon Abdulle is the Executive Director and founder of Ayada Leads, a nonpartisan civic leadership organization located in Minneapolis, MN. Ayada Leads aims to break barriers and foster an environment where new American women, particularly African diaspora women, are encouraged to lead and advocate for policies that positively impact their communities.

    Dr. Habon has more than two decades of experience in the field of gender and politics. She is a respected voice in building a platform that celebrates women's civic leadership efforts and achievements. Through her research on minority women and political participation, she has gained an understanding of the necessity of a woman-centered approach. As a mentor and coach, Dr. Habon assists women in overcoming structural and cultural obstacles that they encounter during their career development.

    Habon believes that women-centered approaches allow women to develop their unique leadership styles and embrace vulnerability. Additionally, this approach encourages new American women to take advantage of their inherent strengths and develop an identity that facilitates developing and exercising civic leadership skills. Throughout her work, Dr. Habon emphasizes the importance of grassroots advocacy and a coalition of progressive leaders for expediting the process of full inclusion, promoting minority women’s political leadership, as well as influencing the policy and effectiveness of women once elected.

    In 2013, Habon was awarded a Bush Foundation Fellowship for a project to empower Somali American women to take on the challenges of political leadership and inspire the community to recognize women as capable leaders. Her empowerment plan has been successful as exemplified by the Somali American women serving in elected positions at both state and national levels.

  • Executive Director, African Career Education and Resources, Inc. (ACER)

    Nelima Sitati Munene is the Executive Director of African Career Education and Resources, Inc. (ACER), a leading advocacy organization in the northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities that engages with and listens to people of African heritage to identify and take action on the issues that matter to them, working together to secure racial and economic equity.

    Nelima is a dedicated community servant and organizer with more than 20 years of experience. As a policy expert and thought leader, Nelima has been appointed to important government commissions and committees, including the Brooklyn Park Community Engagement Taskforce, through which Nelima played a key role in creating the city’s first community engagement initiative to include the growing immigrant and community of color population in the city’s decision-making processes. At the regional level, Nelima served on the Metropolitan Council’s Housing Policy Planning Group, which created the first plan in 25 years to address housing challenges in the seven-county metro region, and chaired the Equity Advisory Committee for six years, during which time she led the conceptualization and development of a regional Equity Policy and the creation and implementation of an Equity Framework to begin to close the inequities in the region. At the state level, she was a member of the inaugural Victim Witness Program which initiated and created policy changes in how victims of crime are supported and kept informed by the court system in Minnesota, and has been appointed to taskforces related to housing and immigration by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Congressman Dean Phillips respectively.

    Nelima also shares her knowledge as a board member for multiple nonprofit organizations, including Women Venture, and the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. She is the founding chair of Minnesota Africans United, an organization that seeks to unite Africans in Minnesota to address issues that impact the community, and a member of the Minnesota chapter of RESULTS, a global advocacy group that lobbies internationally to increase funding for efforts to eliminate global poverty.

    Nelima is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Engineering, Public Policy and Community Development and is an alumnus of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs – Center for the Study of Policy and Governance.

    In her free time, Nelima enjoy reading, dancing, and numerous outdoor activities. The most important role in her life is being a mother to her 3 children

  • Program Officer, Headwaters Foundation; Co-Director, Black Immigrant Collective

    Abena is an immigrant justice and union organizer. Her family migrated to the US when she was a toddler. Moving to the US at a young age has impacted how she views the importance of community building. She is a Minnesotan of Ghanaian and Liberian descent.

    Currently, Abena serves as a Program Officer at Headwaters Foundation and as one of the co-directors of the Black Immigrant Collective. Abena has deep roots in community and is driven by seeing people and community actualize their power and leaving the world a better place than she met it.

    In her free time, Abena loves to travel and trying new foods. She also spends a great deal of time being simultaneously excited and frustrated about the Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Vikings.

  • Founder and Executive Director, New Justice Project

    Minneapolis, MN — Rod Adams is an organizer committed to building economic power for Black and brown communities. Growing up in Chicago, he saw how poverty and crime affected people differently based on their race and these early experiences shaped his awareness of systemic disparities. Now, he is the founder and executive director of the New Justice Project, an organization that focuses on building power for Black Minnesotans through leadership development, political education and access to equitable jobs and housing.

  • Founder and Executive Director, Until We Are All Free Movement; Founder and CEO of Until We Are All Free Consulting Group.

    Kevin Reese grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He spent 14 years incarcerated inside of the criminal justice system. During that time he founded the BRIDGE, which is a grassroots group of directly impacted criminal justice experts whose mission is to abolish mass incarceration. Kevin is the Founder and Executive Director at Until We Are All Free Movement and the Founder and CEO of Until We Are All Free Consulting Group.

  • Pastor, Zion Baptist Church

    On March 24, 2004, Pastor Brian was licensed to preach; on August 13, 2006 he was ordained. He served as an Associate Minister at Zion Baptist Church under the leadership of his father, Reverend Curtis Herron, for three years. In December, 2006, Brian was formally installed as the Pastor of Zion Baptist Church.

    Pastor Brian Herron is a former Minneapolis City Council-member representing the 8th ward in south Minneapolis.

    Pastor Herron is active in the community and is a fearless advocate for justice and Racial Reconciliation, Spiritual Transformation and Healing.

    Pastor Brian started work with the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches in 2003. He developed a program to help people transition back into the community after incarceration. The program, Community Justice Project, worked in partnership with the Minneapolis Police Department and Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility. Along with several other State Prisons. Recruiting and Training Mentors connecting them to the men and women who were incarcerated, visiting them and then being there to help guide them when they were released.

    Pastor Herron has interned with Amicus and The Dignity Center as part of his completion of 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Educations Classes.

    More recently Pastor Herron is a community healer and does grief and trauma coaching and training, one on ones, or healing groups and circles.Pastor Herron also works with Dr. King facilitating meditation groups with children to teach them how to calm themselves and to be better able to sit and be attentive in the classroom as well as to handle their emotions.

    Pastor Herron’s goal is wellness and wholeness for our community so we are able to live and make better decisions and choices for us and our children

    Pastor Brian is a Mental Health First Aid Instructor for Youth and Adults and a Trauma Trainer for Sidran Institute Risking Connection Program and Stairstep Foundation also Transform Mn. Healing The Wounds Of Trauma Facilitator and Facilitator Trainer, Co-founder and Director of The Healing Place and The Wellness Collaborative.

    Pastor Herron is married to Rhonda Bell-Herron and they have eight children and a host of grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

  • Emmy-Award Winning Journalist, Here’s The Truth

    Georgia Fort is a three-time midwest Emmy award winning journalist. She was one of two journalists in the courtroom for the sentencing of Derek Chauvin. Her reporting has been published on national networks like CNN, ABC and NBC affiliates. Her mission as a storyteller is to change the narrative by amplifying truth, citing diverse sources, and contextualizing social justice issues.

    In 2023 Georgia Fort’s company BLCK Press launched an independent TV news program called “Here’s the Truth” which won 3 regional Emmys and has received a total of 12 nominations. Fort’s leadership and innovation has been recognized by the business community, she’s been awarded the 40 under 40 and Top Woman Business Leader by the Business Journal. She’s also been awarded emerging business owner of the year by the National Association of Women in Business Minnesota.

    Fort’s company BLCK Press has been recognized nationally as a pioneer in developing news products that reconnect news to Black culture. Her non profit Center for Broadcast Journalism owns a radio station Power 104.7FM which emphasizes the importance of investing in the next generation to advance representation in media.

    Georgia is married to community leader and former pro-boxer Cerresso Fort, owner of Sir Boxing Club. The couple have three daughters.

  • Founder, World To Win

    Wintana Melekin brings more than a decade of expertise in spearheading impactful campaigns & leading diverse organizations. With an impressive track record, she has played a pivotal role in the electing over 20 progressive candidates in Minnesota.


    Her contributions have been instrumental in historic achievements, including the election of the first Black woman senator to the first Black immigrant to congress & an all women- majority women of color city council. Moreover, she has been at the forefront of various policy initiatives, championing causes such as the $15 minimum wage in the twin cities. and paid sick time in Minneapolis and St. Paul & state side. as well as successfully advocating for the restoration of voting rights for the 55,000 Minnesotans with felony convictions. She now leads World To Win, an organization solely focused on advancing justice in Minnesota.


    Wintana's journey as a community organizer began in 2012 when she helped to coordinate a protest for Trayvon Martin which became at the time the largest protest in Minnesota history.. Her commitment to the principles of a representative democracy, where every voice is valued irrespective of race, religion, or sexual orientation, forms the foundation of her work. She is dedicated to infusing joy into the lives of others while tirelessly advocating for justice. Wintana leverages her skills as an organizer and entrepreneur as powerful tools for enhancing the well-being of her community and beyond.

  • Co-Executive Director, Faith in Minnesota and ISAIAH

    Minister JaNaé Bates is the Co-Executive Director for Faith in Minnesota and ISAIAH – multi-racial, multi-faith, state-wide vehicles for people and communities of faith, Black owned barbershops and childcare centers. These organizations are dedicated to building a multiracial democracy by moving collectively and powerfully for racial and economic equity in the state of Minnesota. JaNaé specializes in integrating grassroots community organizing and narrative strategy. She has been instrumental in the implementation of the “Race Class Gender Narrative” framework in both Minnesota and across the U.S. JaNaé is a womanist theologian and Fulbright scholar. She has two decades of academic and professional experience in ministry, social justice, and communications, including over 7 years as the former Communications Director of ISAIAH and Faith in MN. She currently serves as an auxiliary minister at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood.

  • Pastor of Higher Ground Church of God in Christ; Founder and CEO, Higher Works Collaborative

    Pastor James E. Alberts II, Pastor of Higher Ground Church of God in Christ and CEO and Founder of Higher Works Collaborative, and one of our 2024 Community Builders.

    Pastor Alberts leads St. Cloud’s Higher Ground Church of God in Christ and serves as the Jurisdictional Secretary of the Minnesota Churches of God in Christ. As the CEO and founder of Higher Works Collaborative, he works to uplift the African American community in Central Minnesota. Pastor Alberts was instrumental in developing St. Cloud’s Community Policing Agreement, which outlines police and community actions, and has dedicated nearly two decades to ensuring its relevance to the community’s evolving needs.

    We are proud to amplify the talent we have, like Pastor James E. Alberts II. As part of advancing philanthropic power in Black communities across the state, Pastor Alberts will help design grantmaking strategies and make decisions to advance funds to organizations, social impact businesses, and visionaries who are shaping our collective well-being.

In addition to grants, the New Suns Fellowship includes retreats and convenings as immersive spaces for reflection, strategic planning, and community-building. It also aims to build an ecosystem of leaders focused on civic action, connecting each fellow to a larger, interconnected network of leaders, organizations, and initiatives committed to long-term transformation. These leaders also will advise The Collective, guiding responsive organizing efforts and philanthropic investments to advance the genius of Black-led change.

The New Suns Fellowship is inspired by esteemed writer Octavia Butler's work and her belief that while there may be nothing new under the sun, new suns can emerge. By embracing this principle, the fellowship encourages fellows to not only react to current circumstances but also shape change, envisioning new possibilities, systems, networks, and worlds.

About The Black Collective Foundation MN

The Black Collective Foundation MN believes Black-led change is genius. As Minnesota’s first Black community foundation and a pioneer of culturally specific philanthropy nationwide, The Collective partners with individuals and institutions to boldly invest in organizations, leaders, systems, and ideas. Together, we are realizing a more just Minnesota where all Black people are holistically well, living in dignity and prosperity.www.mnblackcf.org