The Cultural Wellness Center is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the Black Legacy Fellowship, a yearlong program that invests in the wellness and renewal of Black activists and organizers committed to the sustainability of the racial justice movement in the Twin Cities.
This community-designed fellowship, a partnership between the Pohlad Family Foundation and the Cultural Wellness Center, provides unrestricted grant money, personal coaching, and learning opportunities to help community organizers practice self-care, which will enable them to better serve the community. Please visit https://www.blacklegacyfellowship.org to submit nominations.
We’re experiencing a full-circle moment today at the Cultural Wellness Center—and on Give to the Max Day!
In 1996, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) honored me with a RWJF Community Health Leadership Award that we used to create and operate the Cultural Wellness Center.
Now, 27 years later, RWJF is recognizing our work with Ramsey County.
We are thrilled to share that Ramsey County — through its partnership with the Cultural Wellness Center — has won the 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize! We could not be prouder of our collective efforts and the partnership that has gotten us here today.
Why were we selected? The prize announcement said, “Located in the heart of Saint Paul’s Twin Cities region, Ramsey County is home to communities that are proactive in building their own future to heal the wrongs of the past. The strong foundation of on-the-ground community partnerships was built out of a desire to regain Kujichagulia (self-determination). Kujichagulia 2.0 is a unique effort between the community-based nonprofit Cultural Wellness Center, Ramsey County, and the Black Community Commission on Health. Making Black community members integral to county decision-making—while keeping the responsibility to policymakers—is central to their goal of eliminating systematized racist practices related to health, housing, education, career opportunities, and other issues that disproportionately affect the Black community.
The RWJF Culture of Health Prize includes:
In the 10 years since it was launched, the RWJF Culture of Health Prize has celebrated more than 50 communities across the country that are at the forefront of advancing health, opportunity, and equity for all. The 2023 Prize celebrates solutions led by communities like ours that are breaking down the barriers to health and well-being caused by structural racism and other forms of systemic discrimination. We are proud, along with the eight other winning communities, to join the ranks of Prize alumni who are improving health equity across the country.
Our work has always been by us and for us. This is our win, and we cannot wait for what lies ahead. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
In community,
Elder Atum
Cultural Wellness Center
Celebrate KWANZAA with the Cultural Wellness Center (CWC) at the Midtown Global Market (MGM) from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. December 26, 2023 through December 30, 2023 AND December 31, 2023, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Below you will find the theme of the day and some of the activities that are taking place as we celebrate Black Culture as Medicine of Reconciliation through Culture, Heritage, and Harmony this Kwanzaa.
We will begin each day with our ritual ceremony of the Call of the drums, honoring our ancestors, and introducing the Kwanzaa principle of the day. We will have food, songs, dance, drumming, and activities for the children and adults with prizes and a cultural heritage excursion experience. See Flyers for time and date of performers and activities.
Day 1: Tuesday, DEC 26 – Unity – COMMUNITY FEAST
We are celebrating unity and having a Big Feast! Songstress Patricia Lacy Aiken will be performing starting at 3:00 p.m.
Day 2: Wednesday, Dec 27- Kujichagulia (Self -determination)- Fathers, Brothers, Uncles and Sons Day
We are celebrating our fathers, brothers, uncles, and sons. We will have a panel of Men from AGAPE speaking about life after prison and other topics that affect black men.
Day 3- Thursday, December 28, 2023- Ujima- Collective Work and Responsibility – Mothers, Sisters, Aunts, and Daughter Day – EVERYONE COME TOGETHER TO BUILD COMMUNITY
The color of the day will be PURPLE and we are celebrating our women, sisters, aunts, and daughters. We dedicate the day to Ancestor Elder Beverly Cottman and Ancestor Elder Nothando Zulu. Elder Vusumuzi Zulu along with Danielle Daniel will lead storytelling from 2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. and Songstress Thomasina Petrus will be performing with a live band from 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. We’re also having a one-time $100 gift for Covid-19 vaccinations on a first-come, first-served basis. 4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Join Master Drummer Ghana Mbaye, Papa Diop, and Brother Qadash Yasharala as they teach African Drum and Dance. 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Integrated Somatic Pilates with Sister Rehti Mekha and Ryan in CWC Health Hub Offices. 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. LaDonna Funderburke – Meditation & Sound therapy from Breathe Deep Within and Table Talk Birth Worker Akhmiri Sekhr-Ra.
Day 4- Friday, December 29, 2023- Ujamaa- Cooperative Economics – Black Businesses and Market Businesses
We are celebrating Black Businesses and our ownership of the Midtown Global Market. Meet vendors and learn about their products and services. We will also have a tour of Midtown Global Market.
Day 5- Saturday, December 30, 2023- Nia – Purpose – Family, Community, and Connection Day
This is a special day for the children. We will have storytelling for children, a drum and dance class, and gifts from NdCAD. The performances are:
Day 6- Sunday, December 31, 2023- Kuumba – Creativity
Let’s celebrate the community’s talents with Open Mic performances- songs and poetry. If you are interested in performing contact us at 612-721-5745. We will have Paint and Sip Mocktails, Smash the Pain session, and drum classes.
We are having a BIG FEAST!
Closing Circle with Master Drummer Ghana Mbaye, Papa Diop, and Brother Qadash Yasharala as they teach African Drum and Dance- Center Stage
Everyone is invited and we look forward to having you there. Be sure to follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In, Twitter X, and YouTube.
The Cultural Wellness Center is a transformative space that incubates culturally-based solutions to real world problems. Our work at the Cultural Wellness Center is to move from race to culture. By engaging the generative practice of moving from race to culture, one engages the transformative process of being and becoming oneself through the lens of culture. The knowledge produced from this process creates the space for one to heal themselves and build community.
The Cultural Wellness Center is a transformative space that engages the process of a healthy lifestyle.
The Cultural Wellness Center provides cultural immersion experiences for public health and social science researchers who want to strengthen their ability to conduct research alongside cultural communities. We call this cultural approach to knowledge production our Invisible University.
Dreamland Café Reimagined: The vision is to create a flexible, supportive work space for African-American entrepreneurs to start and expand small businesses focused on the intersection of food and heritage— and to offer a dynamic space to host community gatherings and events.
The Cultural Wellness Center is one of the original partners of the Midtown Global Market, an initiative that gives new and emerging entrepreneurs, many of them low income and recent immigrants, a prime location and support to build a business and a future.
The Cultural Wellness Center
2025 Portland Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404