Support Black Ownership

Great morning, good people!

 

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jesse Ross. I’m a professional speaker, executive coach and community activist based in North Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

If you don’t know me, you can learn more about me on my website, my Instagram page or my LinkedIn.

 

My mission is to build community by encouraging connections between people. I’m always looking for opportunities for action and moving from transaction to transformation for myself and the people I live in community with.

 

It’s finally time to share some big news with you and invite you to get involved in what I’ve been working on. I’m in the process of buying a commercial property in North Minneapolis. My vision is that this sixty-eight thousand-square-foot building will:

 

● Provide commercial rental space for Black, Brown, Indigenous and women-owned businesses to build and grow their businesses

● Provide an opportunity for these owners, makers, and entrepreneurs to have a landlord who looks like them, who’s from their community, and who understands the challenges against them

● Create Black ownership in my community

● Secure space in North Minneapolis that Black and Brown folks won’t be able to occupy as development and property values in the area increase

● Offer a community gathering space (there aren’t many in North Minneapolis) for people to gather, celebrate and build community

● Create a legacy for my family by building generational wealth

● Create a blueprint for holistic change in North Minneapolis

 

 

To achieve this goal, I need to raise the last 5% toward the purchase price by November 30, 2022: $300,000.

Once we reach the $300,000 goal, we’ll continue fundraising for the construction buildout, which will start as soon as I close on the property.

 

So far, I’ve gotten a personal bank loan and funds from the City of Minneapolis. To secure the deal, I’m asking my community to help me make this dream a reality for my community, my family and a future we can create together.

 

To be clear, I’m not asking you to invest in this idea. And I’m not asking you to donate to this idea. I’m asking for you to give. I’m asking you to give because you understand that your support is an investment in our collective community and a direct reparation to people who have been historically marginalized.

 

So, here’s what I’m asking you to do:

● Give $100 (or more) to this vision, to this dream

● Share this vision with at least five people you know

 

If $100 is too steep for you right now, I welcome and appreciate any contribution that works for you because community involvement is essential to this project.

 

With your help and my community's help, I can bring this vision from dream to reality.

I thank you for your time, your attention, and your contribution.