Photo courtesy of Pillsbury United
Pillsbury United CEO Adair Mosley
Pillsbury United CEO Adair Mosley
Pillsbury United Communities announced the launch of Justice Built Communities, an economic development initiative that will build equity in land, labor, entrepreneurship, and capital for Black Minnesotans, starting in North Minneapolis. As a first step, JBC plans to buy vacant land and buildings—including properties that were damaged in last summer’s uprisings, following the murder of George Floyd—for neighborhood redevelopment.
“Our mission is to create a just society where every person has personal, social and economic power,” said Adair Mosley, president and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities, in a press release. “The disruptive forces of 2020 showed the inequity of a system built on racist policies and practices as well as the need to act with urgency to equitably rebuild. JBC will prioritize strategies that ensure the people who were part of the history of our communities are also part of the future. We envision thriving commercial nodes anchored by local businesses and green spaces, safe and stable neighborhoods, and meaningful work and wealth-building opportunities that close racial disparities.”
Minnesota has some of the worst economic disparities between Black and white residents in the nation. But north Minneapolis in particular has been subjected to decades of what the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs calls strategic disinvestment—meaning that economic decline in Northside was catalyzed by a shift in public and private investment to white, middle class suburbs. As more recent threats of gentrification seep into Northside neighborhoods, Pillsbury United plans to put land ownership and economic power back in Black residents’ hands.
“Today we see the impact of inequitable development in North Loop, a Northside neighborhood adjacent to downtown,” said Jimmy Loyd, Pillsbury United’s Senior Director of Community Development, in a press release. “While real estate activity in North has largely been stagnant, North Loop has seen $1.2B in real estate sales since 2015. That’s created rapid gentrification on the edges of North, and now this boom encroaches deeper into the neighborhood. As properties along Plymouth Avenue and other major corridors are bought up, vulnerable residents are threatened by displacement as outsiders benefit. JBC aims to reverse this concerning trend and support Northside neighborhoods’ vision for their own future.”
Justice Built Communities closed on its first property earlier this month: the old O’Reilly Auto Parts property on West Broadway, plus an adjacent site. Pillsbury United has already raised $6 million for the initiative, and plans to raise another $14 million by the end of the year.
JBC will use a community-centered design approach in its redevelopment plans: local artists will be invited to beautify the areas, and as properties are redeveloped, local Black entrepreneurs will step in and take over with guidance and financial support. Pillsbury United’s goals are many: building generational wealth and prosperity for families, creating opportunities for youth, and bringing goods and services to Northside neighbors.
Pillsbury United has partnered with Northside business and neighborhood associations including Folwell Neighborhood Association, Jordan Area Community Council, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council, and West Broadway Business and Area Coalition for the Justice Built Communities initiative.
