Black Collective Foundation Minnesota Unveils 2025–26 New Suns Fellowship Cohort
More than $500,000 invested in 20 racial justice leaders across the Twin Cities

Minnesota, MN — The Black Collective Foundation MN (BCFMN) today announced the new cohort of the 2025–26 New Suns Fellowship, a signature leadership development initiative designed to fortify the genius of Black-led change and sustain Black civic leadership for the long-term. This year’s fellowship represents a significant expansion, supporting 20 racial justice leaders across the Twin Cities with a $20,000 direct investment in wellness, healing, and leadership development.

“In a time where Black leadership is undervalued and underfunded, the New Suns Fellowship serves as a model for how to meaningfully invest in community leaders,” said Lulete Mola, Co-Founder and President, Black Collective Foundation MN. “Movements need leaders, and leaders need restoration. This fellowship is designed to combat collective exhaustion, support wellness, and ensure these leaders have the tools and resources to sustain their critical work.”

Launched in 2024, the New Suns Fellowship builds on Minnesota’s legacy of transformational, people-powered civic momentum. The 2025–26 cohort reflects an increase in total investment compared to the inaugural cohort, with over $400,000 in direct grants, $100,000 in coaching, and $30,000 for wellness initiatives. Each fellow will receive wraparound support, including personalized coaching, group healing sessions, and leadership development retreats. The fellowship creates an ecosystem of care and sustainability for Black leaders, enabling them to deepen their leadership, prioritize wellness, and build community-centered infrastructure for change.

“Inspired by the work of Octavia Butler, the fellowship embraces the belief that while nothing may be new under the sun, ‘new suns’ can emerge,” said CeMarr Peterson, Senior Director of Impact, Black Collective Foundation MN. “By investing in these leaders, the Black Collective Foundation MN is helping to shape systems, networks, and futures that reflect the dignity, resilience, and vision of Black communities.”

The 2025-2026 New Suns Fellows are:

  • Assistant City Manager / Director of Administration for the City of Brooklyn Park

    Dr. Angel Smith is a public servant whose career has been defined by advancing racial equity, amplifying community voice, and building public trust in local government. She currently serves as Assistant City Manager / Director of Administration for the City of Brooklyn Park, where she provides leadership across departments and supports the city’s Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) team. In this role, she helps embed equity into decision making, expand staff capacity, and strengthen the city’s connection to its diverse community. Much of Dr. Smith’s approach was shaped by her leadership in Brooklyn Center, where she served as Interim Assistant City Manager and Communications & Community Engagement Manager during a time of profound crisis. She guided the city through the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the civil unrest that followed, and less than a year later, through the murder of Daunte Wright. In these moments of national attention and deep local grief, she led with transparency, humanity, and care. She managed crisis communications while also shaping the city’s early racial equity strategies. Her work in Brooklyn Center laid a foundation for more intentional structures of equity, education, healing, and community engagement that continue to inform the city’s work today. With more than 20 years of experience in local government across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida, Dr. Smith has led organizational change, launched equity driven initiatives, and built partnerships that connect government to the people it serves. She was selected as a fellow of the ICMA Leadership Institute on Race, Equity, and Inclusion, and is the founder of The Kindness Imprint Project, a grassroots initiative launched during the pandemic to meet community needs, and co-founder of X-tra Training, Inc., which provides short-term training opportunities for underserved groups. She also volunteers and serves on several boards, including the Governor’s Resident Council, the Family Child Development Center, and Early Childhood & Family Education. Active in her church community, she continues to ground her leadership in service, faith, education and a commitment to justice.

  • Co-founder, The Ujima Collective

    Danyika is a strategist, organizer, and cultural worker with over two decades of work centered on creating spaces and systems where Black people flourish and thrive. Her approach to this work is grounded in deep care and unconditional love and respect for the abundance, beauty, resilience, creativity, brilliance, autonomy, leadership, and agency of Black people and communities. Danyika co-founded the Ujima Collective with her brilliant husband, Alex, where they work to put this philosophy into action. The Ujima Collective creates spaces where Blackness, fugitivity, abundance, education, justice, love, strategy, and action catalyze - which includes supporting Black and Brown educators’ need to build the resilience required to sustain themselves in their roles as educators community, training over 300 Black Minnesotans in trauma-informed safety education, coordinating community-based safety strategies designed to strengthen the collective through community preparedness and response, as well as through Stolen Wealth Returns, where she distributed nearly $315,000 in funds directly to Black organizers to reduce the financial burden of student loan debt. Danyika believes that leadership is most powerful through collaboration and sharing power, which manifested in her pivotal role in Minnesota's historic 2024 adoption of Ethnic Studies standards for all K-12 students. Through coalition and organizing work, she has held backbone leadership roles in the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition, played a pivotal role in redesigning the Minnesota Educator Standards of Effective Practice, and Heritage Language Educator Licensure pathways. Her facilitation and convening leadership spans local to national levels, including major conferences hosted by the Bush Foundation/Education Evolving, National Center for Teacher Residencies, Teacher-Powered Schools, Take a Knee Nation, and the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition. Danyika also works to reduce young people’s exposure to the carceral system through mediation, restorative justice conferences, SEED spaces, and legal rights workshops.

  • Lived Experience Consultant, Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness 3 Phase Co-Hort Unsheltered Movement

    Jewelean Jackson is a tenured Elder Community Servant, well entrenched in the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness 3 Phase Co-Hort Unsheltered Movement, as a Lived Experience Consultant working to build a strategic plan focused on housing, racial and health justice, from brainstorming to implementation. This process is leading innovative action steps that cannot be forged without first-hand knowledge within existing infrastructures, in need of critical transformation. This exchange has facilitated the incorporation of the unhoused’s insight bridging gaps between persons in power, i.e. government, Tribal Entities. Learning from the cradle to the grave, propelled her to her greatest accomplishment of raising an extraordinary Renaissance daughter with the Village that made us proud. As the Lifetime National Ms. Kwanzaa, affords her the opportunity to speak to Kwanzaa as a way of life, coupled with participatory community building. ‘Sharing The Wealth & Reaching & Teaching’, are the cornerstone benefitting from her legacy. Ms. Elder Jackson is an Unsung Sheroe, whose time has come to bestow acknowledgment of her significant rental recompense for living on this earth.

  • Community Program Support Specialist, Office of Justice Programs

    Manu Lewis is a highly accomplished and deeply impactful professional, a living testament to the transformative power of personal growth and an unwavering commitment to community. With over 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, he has become a recognized leader in restorative practices, community organizing, and conflict resolution. His journey, marked by personal experience as a justice-impacted individual, has cultivated a unique perspective that allows Manu to build authentic relationships and effectively bridge the gap between community needs and systemic solutions. As the Community Program Support Specialist for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), serving as the community interface for the newly created Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls, his work is foundational to the pursuit of justice and healing for affected communities. Manu possesses  a profound understanding of accountability and the power of collective action, coupled with exceptional communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills. His expertise extends to curriculum and program development, community safety strategy, and providing expert consultation to non-profit organizations. Manu’s dedication is reflected in my extensive leadership and board service, including founding the North Minneapolis Rotary Club, serving on the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council, and contributing to the Office of Restorative Practices Strategic Planning Committee. His impactful work has earned him numerous accolades, including the US Attorney Award for Excellence and the Pursuit of Justice, as well as the Sullivan Ballou Award. As the founder of the Minnesota Restorative Practitioners Training Program, Manu looks forward to producing more circle keepers and practitioners. Beyond the professional titles, he is a devoted family man—a son, a father, a husband, and a brother—and a proud Muslim with a Baptist background. As a Restorative Justice Circle Keeper and a Lifestyle Recovery Coach, embodying the values he champions in his work. Through Manu’s lived experience as an 11-time convicted felon who has embraced a path of recovery and purpose, he strategically leverages his insights to drive systemic change and build safer, more equitable communities for all.

  • Founder and CEO, Justice Impacted Individuals Voting Effectively (JIIVE)

    Maurice L. Ward is a visionary leader, dedicated advocate, and trailblazing innovator committed to advancing justice and empowering marginalized communities. As the founder and CEO of Justice Impacted Individuals Voting Effectively (JIIVE), Maurice has championed the rights of those most affected by the criminal injustice system, ensuring their voices resonate in the political arena. An accomplished graduate of Bemidji State University with a Cum Laude distinction in Applied Engineering and a Minor in Construction Management, he combines technical expertise with a passionate commitment to social change. Currently a candidate for Minneapolis City Council in Ward 5, Maurice is actively engaging in policy reform to uplift those experiencing homelessness and address systemic inequities. His pursuit of justice is further reflected in his academic achievements, including a master’s in Advocacy and Political Leadership from Metro State University and his ongoing master’s studies in Nonprofit and Private Administration-demonstrating his relentless dedication to understanding and transforming complex societal systems. A pioneer in legislative advocacy, Maurice played a pivotal role in collaborating with Minneapolis City Council members to pass groundbreaking legislation that protects Justice Impacted Individuals from discriminatory practices rooted in criminal convictions-covering areas such as housing, employment, and education. His commitment to justice extends beyond policy. He believes “voting effectively starts but does not end at the polls, but extends to every decision a Justice Impacted Individual makes daily) exemplified through his stewardship of initiatives like Just Us Gardens, featuring Solitary Confinement Cell Gardens and Size Raised Garden Beds, the same dimensions of a Prison Mattress, which serve as a powerful (silent) visual protest against the Department of Corrections' use of food as punishment and highlight the need for humane treatment and rehabilitation. Maurice believes in the transformative power of justice rooted in kindness and compassion. His leadership philosophy emphasizes that every individual should be seen beyond their mistakes, advocating for transformative-restorative approaches that foster dignity and growth. Driven by his core values of family, community, abundance, peace, and love, Maurice’s purpose is to create equitable systems and inspire others to lead with empathy and integrity.

  • Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Legacy Building

    Fancy Lanier-Duncan is a multidisciplinary creative, cultural strategist, and community leader based in Minneapolis. She advances Black liberation through art, economic empowerment, and entrepreneurship. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Legacy Building, she leads a community anchor dedicated to art, culture, and economic opportunity that has supported more than 300 creatives since opening in 2022. She is also the Founder and Festival Director of the Soul of the Southside, a Juneteenth celebration and cultural institution that generates significant economic opportunity while honoring Black creativity, liberation, and joy. Since its founding, the festival has drawn more than 5,000 people each year and become a vital platform for artists, entrepreneurs, and community connection. She was recognized as a 2025 40 Under 40 honoree by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and is a Josie R. Johnson Leadership Fellow with the African American Leadership Forum. Fancy also serves on the boards of the Minneapolis Sound Museum, Firehouse Performing Arts Center, and Longfellow Business Association. As half of the hip hop and soul duo iLLism, she has toured nationally and earned a 2022 Minnesota Black Music Award for contributions to the iconic Minneapolis Sound. Through every role as an artist, mother, visionary, and builder, Fancy leads with intuition, creativity, and a deep commitment to legacy, joy, and liberation. Her work uplifts both her community and future generations.

  • Founding member, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence

    Toshira Garraway is a community organizer, certified life coach and founding member of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, a coalition advocating for the healing of those who have lost loved ones to police violence. Toshira came into community organizing through her own personal experience of losing a loved one to police violence, and has led many marches and rallies in Minnesota. By supporting families through their darkest moments Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence empowers families to seek change, justice, accountability and healing. On August 19th 2009, her fiancé and father of her son, Justin Teigen, was found brutally beaten to death in a garbage dumpster after being pulled over by the Saint Paul Police following a traffic stop. Toshira advocates for healing by turning her pain into power and supporting all families that find themselves in these horrible circumstances. Toshira is a member of the NAACP, and serves on the boards of the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Minnesota For A Better Police Contract. Toshira works with state officials and national policy advocates to pass new legislation that addresses unjust statutes of limitations for police officers that commit acts of brutality, amongst other issues. She was awarded the Women of Courage Award by the Emmett Till Foundation, and the Truth and Justice Award by the Minnesota Urban League. She was awarded two honorary resolutions by the city of Minneapolis, and the Achievement Award by A Mother's Love Foundation.

  • Founder/CEO of Sankofa Swim International

    Dr. Ayanna Rakhu is a movement therapist and athlete development specialist. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from McKendree University (IL) and a Master of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She completed her Ph.D. in Kinesiology (University of Minnesota) with an emphasis in Behavioral Aspects of Physical Activity. Dr. Rakhu has worked in the field of aquatics for 25 years. After learning to swim and swimming competitively in her youth, she began her aquatic career as a lifeguard at age 16. Over the years, she has held various instructor, supervisor, and administrative roles in aquatic programs. In 2022, Dr. Rakhu founded Sankofa Swim International, a company that specializes in developing culturally specific aquatic programs for schools, community organizations, and aquatic facilities, as well as personalized aquatic training for athletes, military, and first responders. Dr. Rakhu is an avid swimmer, swim coach, and scuba diver, who is passionate about increasing aquatic engagement in culturally diverse communities across the African diaspora.

  • Founder, Scholar School LLC

    Demetria Poe is an educator, leader, and founder of Scholar School LLC, a Black woman owned educational consulting company dedicated to serving marginalized communities through culturally responsive teaching and family centered programming. With over a decade of experience working with children, teens, and families, Ms. Poe has developed innovative literacy interventions, equity focused curricula, and culturally affirming workbooks that center the brilliance of Black learners. Currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership, Ms. Poe is committed to transforming education by bridging research, practice, and community wisdom. She is the author of Kindergarten in a Workbook and is in the process of completing her second text, First Grade in a Workbook, designed to make early literacy accessible and affirming for all students. As a single mother, advocate, and visionary, Ms. Poe’s leadership is rooted in equity, healing, and liberation. Her work reflects her belief that when children and families are affirmed, supported, and seen, they thrive and communities flourish.

  • Founder, Legacy Rising

    Kelli Williams believes her purpose on earth is to create opportunities for the next generation to grow and achieve more. She is actively walking in this purpose as the founder of Legacy Rising, a social enterprise on a mission to help women embrace their whole, authentic selves. Through leadership coaching, strategic consulting, storytelling experiences, Legacy Rising supports individuals and organizations in leading with identity, purpose, and power. Its first social impact initiative includes the forthcoming book Dear Daughter: A Journey to Power, Purpose & Identity. Kelli also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), where she inspires students to merge creativity, strategy, and cultural awareness in their professional journeys. With more than 20 years of experience spanning marketing agencies, corporations, consulting, and nonprofit leadership, she has built a career at the intersection of people, strategy, and transformation. Her impact has been recognized. In 2025, Kelli was named a BMe Vanguard Honoree, joining a national cohort of Black leaders advancing the #NextNarrative of joy, aspiration, and collective power. She was also recognized as one of the 2025 Women in Business by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal and a 2025 Notable BIPOC Executive by Twin Cities Business Magazine. Previous honors include the PowerShift 25 and 50 Black Leaders to Know by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, and recognition by the African American Marketing Association as one of the 50+ Black Marketers on the Rise. Kelli is also the co-founder of 40 Acres Investments, a board director at T.WILL Sports, and an advisory board member for Bolger. Whether teaching, coaching, or building platforms for storytelling and growth, she lives out one of her core values: giving back and supporting others on their journey to rise, thrive, and lead.

  • Media professional and educator

    Margaret Sullivan is a dynamic media professional, storyteller, and live host with over a decade of experience spanning radio, podcasting, journalism, film, policy and education. Known for her captivating voice and compelling presence, she has reported on education, politics, and community affairs through outlets like the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, KFAI Radio, The Uptake, and WFNU Frogtown Community Radio while also hosting morning shows, festivals, red carpets, and live-streamed events across the Twin Cities and beyond. In addition to her media work, Margaret plays a key role in K–12 education policy through her work with Ed Allies, a Minnesota-based nonprofit focused on legislative and systems-level change. Her primary role is educating community members & students on the legislative process and partnering with coalitions and various non profits to implement and protect policies that benefit ALL of Minnesota students. Her proudest endeavor is the free book club she founded and hosts through the non profit titled “For The Love Of Reading Book Club” encouraging kids to explore the joys of reading while exemplifying the organization's commitment to improving literacy and math outcomes in the state of MN through policy . This dual expertise in media and policy equips her with a unique perspective on how narratives shape public understanding of government, education, and equity. She has produced and hosted several acclaimed podcasts, talk radio shows, and livestream series, including Ms Margaret Live!, AmplifiED, and Mondays With Margaret and the Jazz 88 Morning Show. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, VoyageMN, Kare 11, WCCO, KSTP, Babel Doc (France) and Fan Force Media (Australia) . She is currently working on a children’s comic book based on her experience as a child dealing with growing pains and mental health challenges Whether behind a mic, in front of a camera, or on the steps of the State Capitol, Margaret brings voice to untold stories and creates space for powerful, audience-driven dialogue.

  • Artist, herbalist, educator and chef

    Mykela Jackson is an artist, herbalist, educator and chef specializing in Dr. Sebi’s Alkaline Diet. She works with food as medicine to Inform, Educate & Empower majority Black communities to begin their healing journeys. Mykela believes that it is our birthright to have access to decolonized education, culturally appropriate medicine, fresh food and housing. Amidst her own healing journey she discovered that her purpose was to inspire People to live authentically and heal with love in effort to liberate ourselves!

  • Founder, Vegan By Nature

    Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan is a multitalented artist, Vegan chef, educator, and community builder whose life’s work brings fresh innovation to healing, justice, and intergenerational unity. Born and raised in North Minneapolis, she learned early the importance of service and has carried that principle into every role she holds. She is the founder of Vegan By Nature, an organization dedicated to wellness and plant-based education, which has provided over 1,000 free meals while offering culinary experiences and advocacy. A creative innovator in the kitchen and beyond, Thandisizwe specializes in Southern-style vegan cuisine, featuring signature favorites such as peach cobbler, banana pudding cake and smothered meatloaf. Her artistry extends into poetry, where her nationally recognized performances bring people together to spark reflection, healing, and conversations, often about challenging topics. The Minnesota Malcolm X Conference, Study/Do group, and the black video experience are just a few examples of events she has helped organize. Thandisizwe’s commitment to youth empowerment has been lifelong. In third grade, she helped establish Umoja Academy, a youth-driven leadership program that had a positive impact on many of her associates. She teaches performance arts to young people and uses an intergenerational approach to facilitate free mediation and conflict resolution sessions. A seasoned world traveler beginning at the age of five with the international women’s conference in Beijing, Thandisizwe draws inspiration from her global experiences to deepen her understanding and connection to community. Bold in spirit and rooted in ancestral teachings, she sees her work as a pathway to help “Heal the Hood” through food, art, and consciousness-raising.

  • CEO, ConnectUP! Institute; managing director of ConnectUP! Institute’s Integrated Capital Fund

    Y. Elaine Rasmussen is a powerhouse in the world of social finance, entrepreneurship, and impact investing. An unyielding capital entrepreneur and advocate for economic justice, she is a beacon of inspiration for those who want to align their money with their values. Her profound understanding of the intersection between business, finance and social responsibility informs her innovative solutions for regenerative economics. As an award-winning speaker, Elaine captivates audiences worldwide, sharing her visionary insights on how conscious capitalism can transform communities and industries. Her charisma and passion have made her a sought-after thought leader who fearlessly advocates for systems change over charity. Rasmussen is CEO of ConnectUP! Institute and social finance and enterprise innovation studio and managing director of ConnectUP! Institute’s Integrated Capital Fund. She has been named Real Leaders Top Impact Investor. Rasmussen's personal mission is to move $500B to underestimated communities. Her dedication to align profit and purpose has earned her accolades and respect in the fields of social finance and impact investing. In a world where business can be a force for good, Elaine, reminds us that everyone can be catalysts for change. Check out her podcast and YouTube: Do Different Better.

  • Bayou Bay is a weaver of portals, places, and peoples. As a freelance installation artist, Bayou Bay has spent the last decade cultivating the skills and tools to create large-scale art installations and to gather people in ways that feel intentional and healing. Creating art is his spiritual calling; gathering people with and around those creations is his art practice; and leaning into the collective truths that emerge in spaces of liberation is what Bayou Bay values most when curating environments for people to connect. As a collaborating artist, he has been part of the Million Artist Movement, the mural collective Creatives After Curfew, and the artist collective Studio Thalo. Through these collaborations, Bayou Bay worked on, led, and co-facilitated dozens of mural and installation projects. During the uprisings and the years that followed, their murals spoke truth to power, offered affirmations, and mourned those lost to police brutality. Collectively, Studio Thalo created more than 40 paintings tied to multiple branches of social justice. As an independent artist, Bayou Bay created Affirmation Space—a mobile art installation and gathering place designed to affirm Black presence and offer community rest and reflection. During its first self-funded run, the installation hosted over 60 community events, which led to Affirmation Space being invited to the Science Museum of Minnesota as part of a national Museums and Racial Justice convening. To date, his work includes more than 20 public projects and installations, 11 artist residencies, and a yearlong fellowship. Bayou Bay’s leadership and approach to art-making is shaped in part by the Million Artist Movement, where he learned to see art as a tool for gathering, healing, resistance, and liberatory education. Collaboration remains central to his practice. Bayou Bay has co-created murals and installations with schools, housing organizations, and justice-centered groups, rooting each project in storytelling and truth. Since 2019, he has served as the resident mural artist at Global Arts Plus School, guiding 7th grade students in designing and painting annual murals. Bayou Bay currently serves as a Community Curator at the Science Museum of Minnesota, helping shape exhibitions and experiences that center community voices. At the heart of his work is a guiding question: how can art help us gather, dream, and heal together? Bayou Bay’s purpose is to create spaces where Black communities—and all communities navigating harm and displacement—can rest, imagine, and build new futures.

  • Epidemiologist, Medical student

    Dominique Earland is a recent Epidemiology PhD graduate and current medical student whose work is driven by a fundamental belief that health is a human right. Her career is dedicated to bridging community wisdom with scientific rigor to advance health equity, both locally and globally, for Black Americans and those across the African diaspora.

    As an epidemiologist, her research focuses on dismantling systemic barriers to care and amplifying community innovation. Her doctoral work in Mozambique employed a community-engaged, mixed-methods approach to examine the role of traditional healing practices, care coordination, and structural factors among severe malaria outcomes. This work was guided by decolonial research methods and a commitment to interrogating power dynamics, ensuring that knowledge production centers the communities who possess the most expertise to inform effective, culturally grounded interventions. Dominique also conducts community-rooted research in Minneapolis with a focus on cardiovascular health disparities and obstetric racism. This commitment to justice is further realized through her role as a member of the Healthcare Reparations Cooperative, her participation in the Community Health Equity Fellowship, and her collaboration with Medicine for the Objective to advance community-centered health initiatives. Recognizing a lack of sustained institutional support, she has co-founded and led several mentorship and support programs designed to create essential, culturally affirming spaces for underrepresented groups in academia. Through these roles, she develops programming that fosters professional development, community building, and dialogue on critical issues affecting marginalized populations. Her leadership extends directly into the Minneapolis community, where she has co-chaired community healing events and secured resources for mutual aid projects that strengthen trust in communities often overlooked by traditional public health systems. Dominique hopes to bring more joy and safety to healthcare delivery. Ultimately, her compass is guided by the legacy of those who came before her and the communities she serves. She is dedicated to becoming a physician-scientist who believes in the community and works based on their needs and comfort. Dominique hopes to develop new systems of patient-centered care rooted in anti-racism and anti-colonialism, using the power and privilege of her education to transform systems from both the outside and within.

  • Founder, Flava Café Co.

    La’Shante “Shanie” Grigsby is a social entrepreneur, poet, and youth development practitioner based in Minnesota. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from Clark Atlanta University and has spent more than a decade cultivating spaces that ignite confidence, leadership, and possibility in young people. In 2022, La’Shante founded Flava Café Co., a Black queer woman-owned coffee shop and cafe in St. Paul’s Frogtown/Rondo neighborhood. Inspired by her Detroit roots and the welcoming cultural spaces of her youth, she envisioned Flava as more than a café—it is a social enterprise that cultivates community, creating a space of belonging and connection, while investing in the leadership of young women of color and gender-expansive youth through paid internships, mentorship, and personal development. Her leadership extends beyond the café: she serves as Board Chair of Frogtown Farm, Board Member for World Youth Connect and Seraph7 Studios, and as a Community Advisory Committee Member for Indigenous People’s Weekend, led by Niniijaanis. In 2024, Flava Café was honored with the Alice O’Brien Business Award for its commitment to equity and empowerment. La’Shante’s work is grounded in creativity, love, and radical imagination, weaving poetry, and storytelling into her leadership. She imagines a future where she continues to create spaces and art that honor identity, cultivate belonging, and expand opportunities for Black communities to thrive collectively.

  • Founder, New Africa Community Development Corporation

    On August 29, 2016, Matthew L. Ramadan returned to Minnesota, joining the City of Minneapolis as a Senior Project Coordinator in Residential and Real Estate Development. One year later, he founded New Africa Community Development Corporation. An alumnus of the University of Minnesota, Matthew holds a bachelor of science degree in Global Business Management from the University of Phoenix and a master of science degree in Global Islamic Studies from the American Islamic College in Chicago. He is an experienced community and business development trainer and certified by the National Development Council as an Economic Development Finance Professional. Also certified by the National Center for Construction Education and Research, Mr. Ramadan brings over 25 years of construction management and community economic development experience to provide services to the greater Twin Cities community. During a decade long period, Matthew led several successful community organizing, housing, and economic development efforts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, including: The Governor’s Task Force on Drugs and Crime (1989); the Hennepin County Community Prevention Coalition (1991); the Minnesota Affordable Housing Plan (1993-1994); the Minneapolis Community Development Agency Review (1995-1996); the Twin Cities Economic Development Group (1998-1999); and President of the Citizens League (1999-2001). In 1999, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura appointed Matthew to serve as his liaison to the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission in addition to serving as the 7th District Councilmember, first Vice-Chair, and Chair of Community Development for the Metropolitan Council, the regional planning agency for the Twin Cities, seven-county, metropolitan area. Matthew was charged with the implementation of Governor Ventura’s ‘Smart Growth Plan,’ which included: planning for the region’s wastewater and transportation systems; monitoring water quality standards in the region’s rivers, lakes, and wetlands; preserving natural green space and agricultural lands; and managing the region’s growth patterns. Other achievements during his service with the Metropolitan Council were the opening of the North Mississippi Regional Park and planning and completing the first 26-mile Hiawatha Corridor light rail line from downtown Minneapolis to the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and Mall of America. He also solidified the linkage of the production of more affordable housing to the Council’s provision of expanded wastewater services and new roads to growing communities, as an integral part of the Ventura Smart Growth Plan. Leaving Minnesota for a fifteen-year hiatus, Matthew spent eight years working as a real estate and business development trainer and consultant in the Chicago metropolitan area. Prior to his work in Chicago, Matthew served as Executive Director of Operation Breakthrough, Inc., the oldest and largest nonprofit agency serving low wealth families in Durham, NC. Matthew also served as the Planning Director/Zoning Administrator for Warren County, NC. In addition, Matthew served as the Director of Residential Development for the Center for Community Self-Help in Durham, North Carolina.

  • Educator, Minneapolis Public Schools and Metropolitan State University, CEO and founder of Dream Catcher Coaching and Consulting, LLC

    Nafeesah Muhammad is passionate about education and economic justice. She is a radical Black educator, life and leadership coach, Afrofuturist, cognitive justice advocate, and education creative. Nafeesah has been a teacher in Minneapolis Public Schools for ten years. Seven of those years, she served as a high school English teacher. She currently teaches in the Education Pathway program at Camden High School, formerly known as Patrick Henry High School. The program comprises four college-level courses, paid internships, and community engagement. The Education Pathway aims to empower students from diverse backgrounds to become socially conscious and equity-focused educators. We are committed to instilling a belief that education is power, exploring the history and impact of education through the lens of race and social justice, and providing a pathway for students from our community to become educators who are equipped to address systemic inequalities in education and make positive and meaningful impacts in their classrooms and communities. Nafeesah is also entering her second year as an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University, where she teaches Literacy Education in Urban Secondary Schools. This class emphasizes culturally and historically responsive literacy curriculum and instruction. She is the CEO and founder of Dream Catcher Coaching and Consulting, LLC. Dream Catcher Coaching and Consulting coaches Black and Brown students and young professionals of color who have been traditionally excluded from future planning and preparation conversations by increasing their self-awareness, designing deeply impactful learning experiences, igniting their sense of agency, and propelling them toward action. Nafeesah volunteers with the Racial Justice Network and We Win Institute, where they promote education justice in the Black community by curating culturally sustaining literacy experiences for Black children and showing up in protest against racist and/or oppressive policies that deny Black children a quality education. Lastly, Nafeesah recently added film director to her list of accomplishments as an education creative. “Black Teacher Love” is a mini-documentary that captures the untold stories of what it means to be a Black teacher in Minnesota and the impact that Black educators have on their students and the community. The film serves as a recruitment and retention strategy for other Black teachers, an organizing tool to bring Black teachers together, celebrates the work they do, and is an artifact to inform policy and teacher pay.

  • Community strategist and cultural organizer

    Tia Williams is a community strategist and cultural organizer rooted in Frogtown and Rondo. She works alongside a dynamic team of organizers to advance community-led development that centers equity, healing, and cultural power. Through her leadership at Frogtown Neighborhood Association, Tia has helped shape initiatives like SMaPL and Development Without Displacement, which push back against displacement and reimagine what development looks like when driven by the people most impacted. Her work champions Black leadership, public land stewardship, and innovative tools like the Community-Driven RFP to ensure community voice guides policy and planning. With a collaborative, grounded approach, Tia continues to build collective power and possibilities for neighborhoods to thrive on their own term

In addition to $20,000 grants, fellows will design a personalized plan to prioritize one of three core areas: 

  • Wellness - time to reset and reconnect with family, home, and self; 

  • Healing- culturally rooted healing journeys, including spiritual and ancestral practices; 

  • Leadership development - Pursuit of coaching, certifications, or learning opportunities.

Fellows will also benefit from group wellness and healing session offered in partnership with Reviving Roots Therapy, a Black-centered wellness center in Minnesota; leadership convenings and development sessions, including in-person retreats and gatherings focused on financial guidance, emotional care, and strategic planning; and personalized coaching, with individualized support to help Fellows align their leadership goals with wellness, build sustainability, and cultivate long-term impact.

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