[Leslie Redmond & The Activation Bus, Evan Frost/MPR News]
The Community Activation Bus
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Contact: leslieredmond.com/contact
The Community Activation Bus is a Black woman-owned mobile educational, healing, and resource center for the community. During the day it will as a community education and engagement center. At night it will serve as transitional housing for one youth at a time.
Starting in Minnesota and heading east, the Community Activation Bus recreates “Big Ma’s house on wheels. Anyone who has ever had a Big Ma knows that she provided a space where you could (1) learn through storytelling (2) get a hot meal (3) wash up and get a good night's rest. Young people need a place where they can learn their history and culture. They need a safe space where they can be reminded of their greatness.” During the day it will as a community education and engagement center where “young people will learn about Black history and be connected with resources in our community.” At night it will serve as transitional housing for one youth at a time.1
Founder Leslie Remond describes the inspiration and project as follows: “George Washington Carver traveled to teach Black people his discovery of over 100 ways to use sweet potato and a variety of other plants. I invite you all to invest in our “Activation Bus” to engage, educate, and elevate our community in that same spirit. We will:
· Engage by providing wrap-around services and resources
· Educate the community on Black history and current issues; and
· Elevate community members by providing them with knowledge and access to resources
This is more than a bus, this will be a Black woman-owned mobile educational, healing, and resource center for the community.”1
The project falls under Redmond’s Don’t Complain, Activate campaign: “You don’t have to be President Barack Obama or Beyoncé in order to activate your community. There is everyday people that are going to transform the world, whether you're a mom or a dad, artist or entrepreneur, a young person.”
Remond “was inspired by a recent visit to India, where she saw local activists buying big buses and transforming them into education centers for students who couldn’t attend traditional school because of work demands. So, she bought the used RV and stationed it in the city.”
“A lot of the root issues for me in America and that exist in inner city communities is poverty, right?” Redmond said. “This is gonna be a real community center.” 2
Source:
1 The Activation Bus : Don't Complain Activate
2 For Minneapolis activists, guilty verdict just the start of a long journey toward justice. Riham Feshir, MPR News, April 28, 2021.
Founder Leslie Remond describes the inspiration and project as follows: “George Washington Carver traveled to teach Black people his discovery of over 100 ways to use sweet potato and a variety of other plants. I invite you all to invest in our “Activation Bus” to engage, educate, and elevate our community in that same spirit. We will:
· Engage by providing wrap-around services and resources
· Educate the community on Black history and current issues; and
· Elevate community members by providing them with knowledge and access to resources
This is more than a bus, this will be a Black woman-owned mobile educational, healing, and resource center for the community.”1
The project falls under Redmond’s Don’t Complain, Activate campaign: “You don’t have to be President Barack Obama or Beyoncé in order to activate your community. There is everyday people that are going to transform the world, whether you're a mom or a dad, artist or entrepreneur, a young person.”
Remond “was inspired by a recent visit to India, where she saw local activists buying big buses and transforming them into education centers for students who couldn’t attend traditional school because of work demands. So, she bought the used RV and stationed it in the city.”
“A lot of the root issues for me in America and that exist in inner city communities is poverty, right?” Redmond said. “This is gonna be a real community center.” 2
Source:
1 The Activation Bus : Don't Complain Activate
2 For Minneapolis activists, guilty verdict just the start of a long journey toward justice. Riham Feshir, MPR News, April 28, 2021.