We recently passed the one-year mark of the murder of George Floyd at the South Minneapolis intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. Our community is still gaining an understanding as to why that tragedy has been such a strong catalyst for conversations and actions regarding social justice.

More than a year later, national awareness about his death remains high. A recent poll shows there was higher recognition of the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin than of the decision by President Biden to draw down the remaining number of troops in Afghanistan.

Meet Minneapolis is taking an active role in the conversations and transformation of our city. You may have seen our recently launched “Top 8 Reasons Why Minneapolis” campaign to meeting and event planners. Reason #1 is: A Community Leading the Path Forward. This is the recognition that as the catalyst city for a nationwide movement in 2020, Meet Minneapolis stands in solidarity with our leaders from all backgrounds in recognizing the need to transform our city from the inside out to ensure Minneapolis is both a safe and equitable place for everyone to live, work and visit.

Meet Minneapolis has also launched a new initiative called the Meet Minneapolis Legacy Project (MMLP) which was born of the response from staff, clients and industry colleagues following the death of George Floyd. A signature MMLP initiative is “Talking With Our Community Leaders,” a seven-part series of informational webinars to discuss important subjects related to the history of our city and state.

Our next community conversation is entitled: Keeping Our Communities Vibrant and Resilient Through Public Safety

The virtual event is scheduled for tomorrow, June 9, beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT. Our guest panelists will be Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and Greater MSP CEO Peter Frosch. Greater MSP is our region’s economic development agency with a mission “to accelerate regional competitiveness and inclusive economic growth through job creation, capital investment and execution of strategic initiatives.”

Please go here to access past speaker series events as well as any additional resources our presenters have shared. Previous community conversations include:

• Discover Minneapolis’ Past: How History Plays a Role in Where We Are Today
• Prosperity and Disparity in Minneapolis: How Wealth Distribution Impacts Communities
• How Access to Public Health Impacts Economic Health

Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton has served as the moderator for this series of community conversations. She was our first and only choice to serve in this role. She is a Minneapolis native who was elected as the first woman and only African American Mayor of Minneapolis. Her diverse professional background also includes serving in the Department of Corrections prior to her service as a City of Minneapolis Council Member and Mayor. Sharon is currently V. P. Strategic Partnerships and Alliance for Thomson Reuters, Government.

An added dimension to this week’s conversation is that our Meet Minneapolis Customer Advisory Board (CAB) will be in the virtual audience for the conversation. Our CAB is made up of 18 meeting and event professionals from across the country who help our sales and marketing team members stay current on industry issues and trends from their hands-on meeting and event planning experiences. After the Wednesday webinar they will join us for a discussion on how social and community issues influence their event decision making process. We look forward to sharing the CAB’s perspective.

In closing, Meet Minneapolis continues to be the trusted and authentic resource for our internal and external stakeholders. It is important for us to be transparent in our information sharing, particularly along our social justice journey.