Vision for 68,000-Square-Foot Building in North Minneapolis Centers BIPOC Businesses and Communities

Written by SJ — 11.12.2022

Professional speaker, executive coach, and Northside activist, Jesse Ross, is creating a much-needed space for BIPOC businesses in the North Minneapolis community he calls home.

Ross, who was raised in North Minneapolis, is currently closing on a 68,000-square-foot building at the intersection of North Second Street and 26th Avenue North which will provide commercial rental spaces for 15 to 20 BIPOC and women-owned businesses. 

“My mission is to build community by encouraging connections between people.” Ross writes on his Wealth Redistribution Project’s GoFundMe account. “I’m always looking for opportunities for action and moving from transaction to transformation for myself and the people I live in community with.” 

Ross, who is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leader, hopes that in addition to creating commercial opportunities for Black and Brown business owners, the building will be a space “for people to gather, celebrate and build community.” He also sees the purchase as a way to secure a property that will be utilized by historically marginalized communities before new developments and increasing property values make ownership difficult. 

Purchasing the giant property will cost $3.8 million and Ross still needs to come up with the final 5% of the purchase price, or $300,000, before closing. Ross has acquired a portion of that amount thanks to a combination of personal loans, donations from local corporations, and grants from the City of Minneapolis. 

However, he has not yet raised the full $300,000 and must do so before November 30th, 2022 to ensure he will be able to close on the building. Now he’s turning to the community to help raise the last of the funds. 

Ross believes that the Northside space, once completed, will “create a blueprint for holistic change in North Minneapolis.”

To learn more and to support this important community space, visit Ross’ GoFundMe account and share this information with your networks!