February 2021
We're pleased to announce the recipients of this year's History Makers at Home award!
Introduced by the department in 2015, History Makers at Home is a profile series featuring African American leaders from around the state.
These individuals share our ideals of advancing civil rights and removing barriers to equity in the fields of criminal justice, education, economic development, health, housing, government, and more.
Whether “home” is defined as a city, region, or state, the department is pleased to honor changemakers who are creating a lasting impact for future generations.
- Abdullahi Abdulle, New Brighton City Councilmember
- Robert Sayers, Rental Housing Liaison and Fire Inspector, City of Minneapolis and advocate for advancing civil rights
- Valerie Jensen, City of St. Paul Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity, Director and Azon Consulting, Founder & President
- Alice Roberts-Davis, Minnesota Department of Administration, Commissioner
- Tawanna Black, Center for Economic Inclusion, Founder & CEO
- Freddie Bell, KMOJ, General Manager
- Jamil Jackson, Change Equals Opportunity (CEO), Founder & Executive Director and Minnesota Freedom Fighters
- Calvin Littlejohn, Tri Construction, Founder & CEO
This year we are also recognizing two groups as History Makers at Home:
Nurses for their work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic
Minnesota youth for fighting to extend unemployment benefits to high school students.
Thank you to the Minnesota Black Nurses Association and Youthprise for accepting these awards on behalf of these groups.
The awards will be virtually presented on February 18th in partnership with the City of Minneapolis’ Black Employee Network.