Minneapolis officials will put on an expo the last weekend in February to celebrate the city's Black community and move toward racial healing.
The "I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams" expo will take place on Feb. 25 at the Minneapolis Convention Center downtown. There will be workshops, guest speakers, music, panel discussions and free vending opportunities for small Black-owned businesses. It's the city's first major Black-centered event following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
"How do we heal a community? First, we start by acknowledging, uplifting and celebrating," City Council President Andrea Jenkins said in a video highlighting the event.
The event is hosted by Minneapolis' new Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Department in collaboration with Touched Apparel, based out of Atlanta. The city department was recently created as the new home for Minneapolis' racial equity programs; Tyeastia Green was hired as its director.
"This expo will afford Black people the opportunity to unapologetically display the gifts that our ancestors bestowed upon us. Gifts that make us our ancestors' wildest dreams," Brian Smith, director of the City's Performance Management & Innovation Department, said in a statement. It is being held on the last weekend of Black History Month.
The event is also a way for the Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Department to introduce themselves to the community they serve, Green said. The city pitched in an additional $140,000 Friday to put on the expo after an ethics concern meant it could not rely on solicited donations to cover costs. There will be no admission charge. However, attendees who are driving will not have access to free parking.
"It is extremely important that this event be free for the community so that everyone, regardless of personal wealth can enjoy all this expo has to offer," Green said in a statement.
Additional features of the expo include an anti-bullying workshop for kids called "Too Dope to Bully," a healing garden and a food bank for those in need.
Organizers hope to draw 20,000 people to the gathering.
The expo will run from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Feb. 25 and is free for guests and vendors. Additional information is available on the expo's Eventbrite page.
Vendors who want to have a table at the event can email Info@jerseymoulin.com before Tuesday.
