By: Fariza Hassan, Volume 43 Editor-in-Chief

View/Download PDF Version: Minneapolis Organization Spotlight – New Justice Project MN (Hassan)

During a long-time friend’s going away picnic at Boom Island Park earlier this summer, we noticed that under the nearby chateau was a lively group hosting some sort of celebratory, yet informative, event. While we reminisced our stories together, the group next to us put on presentations for one another and made us jealous with how delicious their food smelled. As our picnic began to wrap up, three individuals from the neighboring group approached us, flyers in hand. Nelle, one of these individuals, introduced them as members of the New Justice Project (NJP), a local non-profit organization here in Minneapolis. They asked if they could share a little bit about NJP and the upcoming initiatives that we could take part in. My friends and I, as lifelong Minnesotans and followers of local Minneapolis organizations and politics (though, perhaps not as active as we should be), welcomed Nelle and the others to share their flyers and efforts. They were also kind enough to share some of their food, which my friend Allan eagerly filled a plate with. I realized very quickly that NJP’s inherent values resonated profoundly with not only my own, but also with those of the Journal of Law & Inequality here at UMN Law.

Since this random day in August, I have learned so much about NJP and the essential work they do with and for Black communities here in Minneapolis. As a law student, a Minnesotan, a member of JLI, and a general advocate for racial justice on both local and broad scales, I find it imperative to amplify NJP’s work in any manner I can. To do this, I sat with NJP organizers Nelle Rivers-Koonce (they/them) and Mel Koe (she/her or they/them) to learn more about the organization, including their goals, their accomplishments, and what they hope to achieve moving forward.

NEW JUSTICE PROJECT: A BLACK-LED POLITICAL HOME

The New Justice Project is “a Black-led organization dedicated to creating equitable job opportunities, advocating for housing justice, reimagining community safety, and building power amongst Black Minnesotans.” Rod Adams, the creator and Executive Director of NJP, was living in Detroit during May of 2020, but returned to Minneapolis during the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. The mass protests and global attention that followed George Floyd’s murder, according to Adams, had shed an important light on the lack of real political unity and engagement within Black communities, thus providing the groundwork upon which NJP was born. Through one-on-one conversations with justice-impacted community members, Adams and other NJP members pinpointed the needs of Black communities here in Minnesota. Through these conversations, as Nelle described to me, NJP bloomed into a “Black-led political home for low and no-income, justice-impacted folks to gain political education, leadership development, and access to good jobs and housing.”

For Nelle and Mel, New Justice Project has been an important means of mobilizing local community on a more hands-on, practical level.

Mel immigrated from Malaysia in 2016 for school and worked with a number of larger non-profits, learning more about how institutionalized systems impact certain communities.  Around the time of the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd, Mel focused her activism on supporting the encampments within her neighborhood. She gathered information on what supplies and support she and fellow volunteers could provide for her unhoused neighbors in order to mobilize against evictions by the City, turning into what she felt was a case manager-esque type of role. Unfortunately, the City of Minneapolis proceeded to bulldoze through this encampment community. The impact of such destruction on encampment members’ housing journeys, their health, and encounters with law enforcement resulted in immense devastation and loss, such as the eventual the death of an elderly unhoused neighbor with whom Mel had developed a close and personal relationship. Mel quickly realized that it was this type of activism—working directly with and for justice-impacted community members on a local level—where her efforts and passions would be best directed. Through her organizing efforts, Mel met Rod Adams and worked with NJP as an Organizing Director until January 2025. Mel’s duty in this role included overseeing field campaigns and envisioning additional goals and initiatives for the organization.

Nelle grew up in the South and moved to Minnesota in 2019. They recall having very early and formative encounters with injustice faced during their upbringing in a poor, Black, single-parent household exacerbated by Southern racism. Nelle and their family endured medical racism, financial instability, and bad housing conditions, none of which were addressed or supported using government initiatives. Much of the support they did receive, if any, came directly from their community through mutual aid efforts. It was through such experiences that Nelle learned that it was not a matter of individual failures to attain basic standards of living, but the institutions that uphold such systemic injustices against Black and brown people. Upon moving to Minnesota, Nelle discovered NJP and began working as a Housing Justice Organizer. Within this role, Nelle focuses on base-building, bringing in new members (like myself!), capturing and incorporating community feedback on campaigns, general outreach, and bringing joy where they can.

LOCAL PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES

Since its formation, NJP has developed several avenues of programming that directly assist local Black communities here in Minneapolis, including, but not limited to access to labor and labor education, raising the state-wide minimum wage, housing injustices, and general coalition and community building. Many of these initiatives involve the uplifting of community members who have been directly impacted by respective injustices, allowing them to amplify their voices not only as those impacted by unjust laws, but as active constituents and members of the political and social Minneapolis community.

Raise the Wage (SF 4019)

The Raise the Wage initiative aims to raise the Minnesota state-wide wage to at least $20/hour. Working with Minnesota Senate member Zaynab Mohamed, NJP helped in writing the SF 4019 Bill, which advocates for a steady increase in the state-wide minimum wage until reaching $20 in 2029. The current state-wide minimum wage of $10.85/hour is insufficient to support an average living wage of a Minnesotan family, which equates to roughly $21.45/hour. In 2021, more than 20% of Black or African American households reported incomes below the poverty level, compared to just 7.5% of the white population. Until this Bill is reintroduced in the 2024-2025 legislative session, NJP plans to continue engaging community members to share their stories and make their voices heard with regard to the impact of what a higher minimum wage could mean for them and their families.

Ban the Box (SF 4015 – Fair Chance Housing Act)

Partnering with Until We Are All Free and the Vera Institute, NJP’s Ban the Box initiative aims to remove barriers in place for those with prior felony convictions seeking housing. Currently, most housing applications in Minnesota require applicants to disclose past convictions, typically resulting in a denial of consideration if answered affirmatively. This disclosure results in an immense disadvantage for those seeking to rebuild themselves post-incarceration, resulting in higher rates of homelessness and recidivism. NJP helped in writing The goal of this bill is to “limit the use of criminal background checks in rental application processes, allowing Minnesotans with conviction histories a chance to secure housing.” Throughout 2024 and into 2025, NJP has also hosted numerous listening sessions for community members to share their experiences with post-conviction housing barriers and otherwise.

Pathways Labor Program

The Pathways Labor Program is dedicated to connecting more people of color to union jobs here in Minneapolis. Commitment to labor is a core value of NJP, as many low- and no-income individuals rely on labor jobs for basic living. In the current landscape, union members and leaders are typically white, male, and middle-class dominated, leaving many Black and brown workers uniquely impacted by unjust employment laws outside of the negotiating table. The Pathways Labor Program works with local unions in the Minneapolis area to hire Black and brown workers an educate them on how to incorporate discussions of race in their negotiations with employers. Through this program, NJP serves as a liaison figure between community members seeking work and local unions, creating a more inclusive and intersectional avenue for labor rights for Black and brown workers to come to light. This program is currently on hold as NJP continues to develop its structure and ensure the best ways to support program members.

Base-Building

As with any organization, membership growth and stability are essential in maintaining growth and participation. A critical method in which NJP builds their base is through the manner in which the organization started: one-on-one conversations with the community, particularly with justice-impacted, low- and no-income members. Common areas of outreach include halfway houses, support groups, and general practices like door-knocking, flyer distribution, and referrals. NJP organizers, like Nelle and Mel, help to facilitate these personal, one-on-one connections with the community, where members are “assigned” to an organizer who helps oversee their connection and engagement with NJP moving forward. Engaging members in political opportunities is another focus of NJP, given that many justice-impacted individuals are often distanced from political processes despite being directly impacted by them. For example, earlier this year, NJP organizers and members traveled to D.C. to support the repeal of the 94 Crime Bill. Many members shared that it was the first time they had interacted with government officials, shared their stories, and felt that their voices were having a tangible impact. NJP strives to provide these members with the necessary tools and avenues to create change and justice as needed, ensuring that they are supported and guided throughout every step.

After my chance encounter with NJP back in August, Nelle has been a constant point of contact and support for my continued growth as a member of NJP. I attended a new member orientation back in October, where I was able to connect with more people in the community and learn about NJP organizers and their activism here in Minneapolis. And of course, there was delicious food. I found the structure of this orientation to be especially insightful, as it was less rigid or lecture-based, and more focused on storytelling and dreaming. When I say dreaming, I mean the part of orientation where we took time to actually sit and dream about a future we want to live in. Some said they want to live in walkable cities with accessible means of transportation, some said free housing and food for all, and nearly everyone said their dreams included a world where capitalism did not exist. It was a beautiful, sincere moment of reflection that I had never experienced. It reminded me that we do not make enough time to dream nearly as much as we should, and that our dreams are not so different than our neighbors and broader community.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Since its inception in 2020, the New Justice Project has seen a number of accomplishments for Black communities here in Minneapolis. The following is a list that brushes on a few:

• Co-led campaigns on Restore the Vote, which helped restore the right to vote for over 55,000 Minnesotans who were barred from voting due to probation or parole status. Many of these Minnesotans were voting for the first time ever in their lives.
• Assisted in the largest Black voter turnout in Northeast Minneapolis in both Keith Ellison and Mary Moriarty’s respective elections.
• Grew their member base to over 1,000 members (and counting!).
• Secured funding of $9M to build the Rise Up Center, a worker and opportunity center for multiracial families and provide access to jobs, projected to finish construction towards the end of 2026.
• Worked with neighboring organizations and County officials to host expungement clinics throughout Minneapolis.
• Connected workers with numerous labor jobs since 2020.
• Created space for community members to receive political education, understand their role in shaping their own experiences, building power with community, and having fun!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR NJP AND HOW CAN LAW STUDENTS & LAWYERS HELP?

Of course, there is much left to be done in rectifying the injustices faced by Black communities in Minneapolis. When first connecting with Nelle back in August, I had asked them how I, as a law student, can help NJP and its initiatives, which I asked once more to both Nelle and Mel during our recent interview in October. The answer to this question, as expected, is broad, but also not unattainable. Some meaningful actions that we as law students can partake in is assisting in the breakdown of legal systems and jargon for expungement clinics or Know Your Rights training sessions and helping with policy research for campaigns. At the heart of all actions, however, is the simple step of showing up. Showing up to events, for one another, and to break the “professional bubble” that tends to disconnect those in the legal field with the plights of those in their community.

If you are interested in becoming more involved with the New Justice Project and its initiatives, here are some ways to do so:

• Sign up to join NJP’s newsletter and stay connected on upcoming events through the interest form
• Follow NJP’s social media (@newjusticeprojectmn)
• Attend monthly virtual info sessions
• Attend new member orientations to learn more about new and ongoing campaigns
• Meet with organizers! Schedule one-on-one meetings with NJP organizers to establish a working relationship with the organization.

I’d like to end this blogpost with a sincere thank you to Mel, Nelle, and all of the members of the New Justice Project for their time and work they do for Minneapolis. It is through organizations like these, and people like them, that help us move towards a society where we can dream together and build a more just world, step by step.