Nexus Community Partners

Work at Nexus! We’re hiring a Vice President of Finance & CFO to creatively build out our finance department. This is an exciting opportunity to lead and manage the finance and accounting needs of our growing organization. Check out the full job description and apply here: https://lnkd.in/eXDrEYab Our mission is to build more engaged and powerful communities of color so that each and every person can flourish in a joyful and abundant life. In recent years, we’ve launched the largest program expansion in our 20-year history: • We created the Open Road Fund, an innovative grantmaking program for Black individuals across Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. • In collaboration with the City of St. Paul, we are scaling up BIPOC-led cooperative ownership enterprises through technical support and funding. • We launched the ROOT Sabbatical Fellowship, supporting racial justice leaders to take time off work and to invest in their rest. • We are advancing ongoing organizational planning and development to maintain our values-based culture of care as we expand staff and programming.  As a justice-oriented intermediary, the way we work is unique. We know we can’t care for our communities without also caring for ourselves. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including unlimited PTO, a 4-day, 32-hour work week, health, vision, and dental insurance, and more. We hope to see your application soon!

Hooray for May Day Cafe! The Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus is cheering them on as they transition to a worker-owned cooperative. Read about their journey in Racket! https://buff.ly/3ZGOHCk

Happy Co-op Month! At Nexus, we celebrate the power of cooperatives in October and all year round. Our North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship program and the Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus (SOC@N) work toward a future where people-centered businesses are at the heart of our local economy and communities. ❤️ To dismantle the rigged rules that amass wealth and power in fewer and whiter hands, North Star approaches community wealth-building from a reparative framework rooted in Black culture. Our fellowship brings worker-owners of Black-led cooperatives together, rooted in the history of Black American cooperative economics. The Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus helps entrepreneurs start up worker cooperatives; assists local business owners with selling to their employees; and helps neighbors own their neighborhoods through real estate investment co-ops. 📷 Upper left: Nexus’ North Star team: Program Manager Leanna Browne and Community Wealth Building Director Nkuli Shongwe 📷 Upper right: A group of past North Star fellows 📷 Lower left: SOC@N's first real estate cooperative client: Ignite Business Women Investment Group 📷 Lower right: Nexus’ SOC@N team: Cooperative Finance Developer Christina Nicholson, Worker Ownership Initiative Director Patty Viafara, SOC@N Director Benjamin Tsai, and Program Manager Diana Siegel-Garcia

BIPOC communities have suffered under racist and patriarchal systems of oppression since the founding of our country — and they've been fighting against these systems for just as long. This fight against and within a racist society is taking a toll on our community leaders. Chronic stress and generational trauma are harming our physical and mental health and our ability to show up every day, as fully human. Bearing witness to trauma within a community involves a profound collective experience, and so we invite our elders, healers, guides, mentors, artists, and community culture bearers to the sacred process of rest that is our birthright. Join ROOT's (Reclaiming Our Own Time) upcoming virtual workshop: 💻 “Bearing Witness to the Wounded Healer: Pathways to Well-being and Rest”
 📅 Saturday, Oct. 19, 1-4 p.m. CT
 ➡️ Register by Oct. 12 at https://buff.ly/4eao6C7 We’ll explore the healer’s journey by combining storytelling and somatic practices. This verbal expression can bring clarity and validation, helping participants make sense of their trauma or struggles. When alternated with body awareness exercises, breath work, or movement, participants can connect their emotional and physical experiences, fostering a holistic sense of healing.

We were honored to host Maestra Rita Navarette at Nexus last week! An elder from the Otomi Indigenous community of Metaxi, Mexico, Maestro Rita led the workshop “Curanderismo – Ancestral Healing,” which immersed participants in the rich history of Indigenous Mexican medicine through a guided healing circle and storytelling, while sharing tools to continue self-healing care for participants and their communities. https://buff.ly/3ZvWsLf Our ROOT co-director Rosalva Mujwid Hernandez was on hand to support the event with Blanca Martinez Gavina (2023 Bush Fellow) and Ana Mariella Rivera (Historias y Huellas Podcast host). One attendee reflected: “Healers — whether they are health care professionals, mental health counselors, or informal caregivers — often prioritize the needs of those they serve over their own. This can lead to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and a diminished capacity to provide care effectively. By supporting these individuals, we not only acknowledge their sacrifices but also ensure they have the resources and self-care practices necessary to continue their important work. When healers are cared for, they can better support their families, friends, and communities, creating a healthier, more resilient environment for everyone.” As part of our ROOT (Reclaiming Our Own Time) and Heal the Healers work, we were delighted to sponsor this community-designed and -led workshop!

Happy Latine Heritage Month! Also celebrated as Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 honors the achievements, histories, and diversity of folx who trace their ancestry to Mexico, countries in South and Central America, and Caribbean countries like Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. At Nexus, we relish our distinctive cultural practices, traditions and needs, offering year-round programming and funding by and for Latine and other BIPOC communities. We’re also dedicated to supporting Latine-centered offerings from our local partners — mark your calendar for these community celebrations! 📅 🎉 • Sept. 21: Brazil Day 2024 https://buff.ly/4eusJqe • Oct. 3: CLUES Gala Latina https://buff.ly/3XnNoFG • Oct. 11: Brooklyn Park LatinoFest https://buff.ly/3z6r9Mx • Oct. 9-13: Cine Latino Film Festival https://buff.ly/3Zw3iAE • Oct. 19: Dia de Los Muertos Festival + Family Art Day https://buff.ly/4gtcfk8

We have selected 10 participants for our inaugural 2024 ROOT Continuous Sabbatical Fellowship! https://lnkd.in/e-wy3q45 Thank you to all 1,105 changemakers who shared your rest dreams and your commitment to the community with us. We read every single story that came our way, inspired and moved by how many of you put your heart and being into shaping a brighter future for our communities of color. All applicants should have received, via email, the status of their application. The Continuous Sabbatical Fellowship has only 10 spots, chosen through randomization of all eligible applicants. We know this can be hard, because it takes time and emotion to dream about opportunities like these. We hope that during the application process, the time you spent has given you space to reflect on how you might reclaim your rest. Early 2025, we’ll announce our next sabbatical opportunity: the Rhythmic Sabbatical Fellowship. Keep an eye on our website, newsletter, and/or social media for info to come!

Help us plan our “Heal the Healers” gatherings! We’re excited to invite BIPOC healing practitioners, elders, and guides to a community conversation to help shape two virtual events and a three-day “Heal the Healers” convening — a sanctuary of rest, reflection and rejuvenation amidst workshops on holistic care and professional growth. We want to tailor this conference to meet the needs of our local community. Please join us on Thursday, Sept. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., to share ideas for presenters, workshops, and experiences you’d like to have! Sign up to attend at https://lnkd.in/ecaa58Bv

The Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus (SOC@N) helps local businesses — like May Day Cafe — become worker-owned co-ops! When May Day’s owner decided to sell the restaurant, the staff’s love for this Powderhorn staple led them to seek advice from Nexus and our friends at the Hub Bicycle Co-op, Happy Earth Cleaning, and Seward Cafe. The Star Tribune covers their journey so far, as they raise money to “turn it into a worker cooperative that would preserve the bohemian culture, neighborly vibes and creative pastries that customers have come to love." Check out the article or visit their donation page to learn more! https://lnkd.in/esMfikNJ https://lnkd.in/eriKwEY6

Did you apply to the Open Road Fund this year? Monday's Community Care Call will provide a space to process and explore emotions that may arise from the application and selection process. As folks descended from African people who were enslaved, we understand that the questions about ancestry in our application, though necessary, can bring up feelings of uncertainty and not-knowing. We also know that not being chosen for a gift from the Fund can trigger feelings of grief or despair. The call will be hosted by three Black mental health practitioners — Dr. Aja King, Dr. BraVada, and Cedric Weatherspoon — to provide a healing space and practices that may help guide you through what you are feeling. Please join us! Register at https://buff.ly/3yOurDX