Co-Creating the Future

It has been 400 years since U.S. leaders decided the best course of action was to use enslaved human beings to build this country. The story was that certain people were inferior.

The vision was to take land by force. Agricultural expansion and industrial enterprise grew an empire partly by exploiting free and cheap labor, with the resulting profit largely trickling up.

Those are the roots of today’s society.

The New York Times has published an extensive, interactive 1619 Project, which offers essays, photography, and a podcast that explore how capitalism, healthcare, the criminal justice system, diet, housing, education, sports, and music are rooted in the policies of enslavement, starting in this nation in 1619.

In Minnesota, disparities are shocking. For example, the gap between Black and white employment is the fourth largest in the country. The state’s reading gap at the fourth grade level is the largest in the nation. Latinx and Native populations also are measurably at a stark disadvantage.

The Star-Tribune “Curious Minnesota” column examined a study in 2015 that looked at the lending practices of the banks in the Twin Cities from 2008 to 2013. Non-white applicants were more likely to have their loan applications rejected. The gap was not solely due to credit risk or income. Today, 76 percent of households headed by a white person in Minnesota own their home, compared to 24 percent for Blacks — the third widest gap.

Many powerful, everyday women have been working for decades to try to correct Minnesota’s vision problem and rebalance systems of education, economy, healthcare, and community.

This issue contains essays from some of them, who explore what we might do differently going forward.

In other words, the women in our “Visionaries” magazine explain how we can do a better job at equitably co-creating the next 400 years.

Be Part of Our Future

We are preparing next year’s magazine themes, in what we are calling The Year of 2020 Vision. We will dig into themes ranging from economic power and equity to self-care and pleasure.

We also are creating a commemorative 35th anniversary book to showcase women visionaries of Minnesota’s past, present, and future. Place a pre-order for this limited edition by emailing editor@womenspress.com, with “Book” in the subject line.

Sign up for our e-newsletter to find out what we are building and how you can be part of it. Reach out to our team for more opportunities to engage with the Minnesota Women’s Press community.

• To attend our December 5 Gala: tinyurl.com/MWPGala2019

• To subscribe: fariba@womenpress.com

• To suggest a new distribution location or event: klarson@womenspress.com

• To inquire about event sponsorship: karen@womenspress.com

• To place an ad: ads@womenspress.com

• To apply for a business development job: applicants@womenspress.com

Calling Native Storytellers

Our November issue is focused on “Storytellers from Turtle Island.” If you are from an Indigenous community, reach out to editor@womenspress.com with a story you might like to share. We have a few assignments that need Native writers as well. Deadline: October 2.