Overview:

The People’s Path Forward: People’s Assemblies Coordinator will lead and bottom-line coordination of this year’s Assemblies process, which is anchored by Reclaim the Block and Black Visions along with partner organizations and a Black Advisory Table. The Path Forward Campaign is seeking a contractor who will be responsible for managing the People’s Assemblies coordinating committee and ensuring that working groups and partners are aligned and driving the overall goals of the process. This role will be a lead project manager and coordinator, responsible for managing the different working bodies and developing necessary tools to keep the project & participants supported and on task.

This is a contract position with Black Visions, running from June-December 2021.

See last pages of this posting for more information on our People’s Assembly process this year.  

Core Responsibilities:

Working with Reclaim the Block & Black Visions along with other partners and stakeholders to plan and lead the work of the People’s Assemblies, including ensuring the launching & completion of overall project.

• Project Management
  • Managing the development and implementation of work plan & executing the overall strategy
    • Develop and coordinate materials and systems and maintain consistency of implementation (documents/materials, toolkits, utilizing monday.com for shared project management etc.)
  • Leading People’s Assemblies Coordinating Committee
    • Facilitating weekly meetings with the Coordinating Committee, made up of leads of each working group
  • Support the development and maintain work plans of ~6-7 work groups (current working groups include: Care, Comms + Art, Youth assemblies, Logistics, Facilitations, Synthesis, Outreach + Organizing)
    • Support leads of working groups
    • Lead the Logistics working group
  • Develop tools to maintain healthy relationships and support partners/ leaders throughout process
    • Monitor capacity and identify needs of existing & new partners
    • Determine and lead any necessary internal study & training for coordinating team & partners to build confidence and support decentralized structure
  • Project Administration
    • Communication & coordination
      • Sending out email reminders, zoom links, calendar invites.
      • Documenting and tracking notes and maintaining organization
      • Communicating effectively and consistently with the coordinating committee to create agenda and facilitate work moving
      • Prepping and/or delegating responsibility to ensure that all necessary materials are provided
      • Utilizing and keeping up with our shared project management tool (monday.com)
    • Maintain overall budget
      • Oversee/coordinate funding for grants, partners, and staff alongside our funding partner SEE/OSF
      • Work with our fiscal sponsor to maintain and follow financial processes

Experience and Qualifications

Ideal candidates will have a strong praxis in community-centered decision making, political education, and coalition building. They will have a background of knowledge in abolitionist and Black liberation theory and know how to translate that in an accessible way to others. Additionally, they are an excellent project manager, having led at least two multi-month community projects.

Additional Desired Qualifications/Experience:

• Strong interpersonal skills and attention to detail
• Familiarity with non-profit structures, practices and organizational cultures
• Commitment to liberation of ALL Black people regardless of ethnicity, age, ability, class, gender, sexuality, etc
• Experience leading and managing others within projects
• Working knowledge of Minneapolis politics and relationships with local BIPOC leaders
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills; experience using Microsoft Suite, basic internet-based technology and data entry/management
• Common sense, flexibility, and teamwork skills with the ability to exercise independent judgment
• Time and project management skills; ability to pivot to meet current events and organizational needs while maintaining attention to detail
• Working in collective or cooperative settings
• Continuing and/or adapting previously developed programming

Must be willing and able to:

• Communicate needs and boundaries as they arise
• Delegate tasks to focus on their primary role
• Speak in front of small and large groups (with translation provided as necessary)
• Speak to what abolition is and why it is essential to Black liberation
• Have a driver’s license and access to reliable transportation

This is a short term, contract position that will run from June 2021 to late December 2021.

This position will pay $30,000 – 35,000 ($60-70k annual calculation) for 6 months plus compensation for benefits.   

To Apply:

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and a proposal outlining how you would coordinate and execute this work to assembliescoordinator@blackvisionsmn.org. Applications will be considered as they are received. We aim to make a hire by June 7.

Reclaim the Block is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage those from, and who have experience working within, Black, indigenous and LGBTQ communities to apply.

Overview:

Reclaim the Block seeks an Outreach Organizer for a full-time position. This individual will support our Path Forward campaign to defund the Minneapolis Police Department and chart a new path for building a safe community.

This person should be excited about reaching out to new people and building new relationships – representing RTB at community events, talking with folks on the street, making phone calls, speaking publicly, and finding ways to connect with people and let them know about the campaign. Creativity welcome: a successful candidate will find creative ways to reach people and experiment with new ways to connect, like art, innovative events, etc. This position also offers opportunities for the organizer to get more training and build new skills.

Reclaim the Block uses a coalition organizing model: we work with organizations — ranging from established non-profits and businesses to small grassroots community groups and crews – to build power, build community, and push for policy change. The Outreach Organizer will focus on building relationships with groups of people directly impacted by policing and people who often get left out of policy conversations.

Candidates should be excited about joining a team amidst significant growth and in the process of developing core structures.

Note: This position will require attending regular in-person events and closely following COVID-19 safety protocols.

About Reclaim the Block:

Reclaim the Block works to build a Black-led, multiracial movement empowered to dismantle and defund the Minneapolis Police Department and to move those resources into community driven practices. Reclaim the Block works in close partnership with Black Visions and is made up of a multiracial core team of community members, both staff and volunteer.

About the position:

Compensation: $60,000, full time salaried

Benefits: This position qualifies for a full and generous benefits package

This position will be supervised and funded by Reclaim the Block and hired through our anchor organization, Black Visions, through their fiscal sponsor, TakeAction Minnesota.

Core Responsibilities:

• On the ground outreach, talking with people about their lived experiences and how it connects with the Path Forward campaign:
  • Attend community events: table, flyer, and talk with people about the campaign
  • Develop outreach plans to reach communities where we need to build more relationships, and coordinate with partners leading field outreach efforts
  • Give presentations and speak publicly about safety and the campaign
• Expand the Path Forward coalition by building relationships with new partner organizations (including formal organizations and informal collectives).
  • Invite and follow up with new partner organizations
  • Help new groups get oriented to the campaign and find ways to plug in
  • Identify ways we can support partner orgs and build mutual relationships
• Help organize and implement People’s Movement Assemblies (PMA’s)
  • Attend and help facilitate in-person (COVID-safe) and online community assemblies to define safety for Minneapolis
  • Support partner organizations with planning, logistics and execution of PMA’s
  • Recruit community members and groups to participate in PMA’s
• Event planning for:
  • Political education events – abolition 101, community safety planning and skill building events, etc.
  • Community art, celebration, and healing events

Preferred Experience: 

• 2+ years of experience in community organizing
• Experience thinking about or building community-led safety infrastructure a plus
• Experience organizing with BIPOC communities
• Working knowledge of Minneapolis politics and relationships with local BIPOC community members and organizers

Preferred Skills:

• Comfort talking with and reaching out to people you do not know
• Relationship-building skills, including ability to navigate tension and conflict.
• Strong meeting facilitation skills and comfort speaking in public
• Ability to build, manage, and follow through on workplans in a self-directed environment
• Ability to multitask and prioritize competing tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to say yes and no to tasks, based on priorities the team has set together.
• Experience with Spanish, Hmong, or Somali
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills; experience using Signal, Google Docs, Zoom, and other basic internet-based technology and data entry/management platform

Values: 

• Commitment to racial, economic, gender, LGBTQIA+, and disability justice.
• Understanding of and commitment to abolitionist principles, including transformative justice, mutual aid and community defense.
• Working in collective or cooperative settings.
• Experience or interest in consensus-based decision-making frameworks.
• Comfort communicating needs and boundaries as they arise.

To Apply:

Email reclaimtheblock@gmail.com with a resume and either a cover letter or a 3-5 minute video describing your qualifications. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with priority consideration going to applications received by June 4. We intend to make a hire by June 25, with a start date of July 7.

Reclaim The Block is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage individuals from, and who have experience working with, Black, indigenous and LGBTQ communities to apply.

The Neighborhood Justice Center (NJC) is seeking a talented and passionate Community Advocate/Investigator to join our legal team on a Full-Time basis.

NJC is a non-profit, community-oriented criminal defense law firm which fights systemic racism by ensuring that everyone has access to high quality criminal defense services, regardless of their ability to pay. We were created by and for the BIPOC community in 1973, and today we are needed more than ever. Our office actively defends the rights of the community to help ensure that all our clients, including those who do not speak English, may not have permanent status in the U.S. and/or are traditionally disenfranchised have equal access to justice.

The Community Advocate/Investigator conducts intakes with clients, investigates the facts, and assists attorneys with court communication and case preparation. Community Advocates/Investigators present intakes to the attorneys at NJC for case acceptance, and also represent NJC in community meetings and outreach events.

Qualified candidates must have the ability to work well with diverse clientele, and have experience with criminal and social justice issues. A degree in a related field is preferred (paralegal, social justice, social services, criminal justice, chemistry…). Bilingual individuals are encouraged to apply, but a second language is not required for this position. BIPOC and LGBTQ community members are also encouraged to apply.

Hourly rate range starts at $19.00 per hour, but will depend on experience. NJC offers a competitive compensation package including paid family health and dental insurance, life and disability insurance, substantial paid time off and holidays, as well as a 401K retirement match contribution.

If interested, please apply via email no later than June 17, 2021, at 4:00pm.

To Apply:

Send a Letter of Interest, Resume and at least three professional references/ letters of recommendations addressed to Executive Director Cullin J. Smith at csmith@njcinc.org. In the subject line of the email please put “Community Advocate/ Investigator Application.” You will receive a reply email acknowledging receipt of your submission.

Thank you for your interest in defending the community with NJC!