The Community Activation Bus is a Black woman-owned mobile educational, healing, and resource center for the community. During the day it acts as a community education and engagement center. At night it serves 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.
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 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 a traditional school because of work demands. So, she bought the used RV and stationed it in the city." 2
Source:
1 The Activation Bus: Don't Complain Activate
2 Riham Feshir, For Minneapolis activists, guilty verdict just the start of a long journey toward justice, MPR News, April 28, 2021