At the end of March, we introduced the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED) racial equity commitments in the first blog of a five-part series. Our five racial equity commitments are:

• Drive dollars to targeted communities. As an agency that grants millions of dollars per year to help grow the economy, where our money goes is an expression of what Minnesota values.
• Increase outreach and engagement. We can’t expect communities to just come to us – we have to be in communities ourselves, so that everyone is aware of our programs and opportunities.
• Reform programs to address systemic barriers. Some of our programs or processes have designs that prevent communities of color from accessing them as easily – we must change that.
• Make equity everyone's job. Driving racial equity isn’t just one team’s job – it should be every team’s job at DEED.
• Change from the inside out. If our culture at DEED is one in which people of color feel seen and valued – and can bring their authentic selves to work – and if all levels of our team reflect the communities we seek to serve, then we’ll do better for all Minnesotans.

In this second blog in the series, we’re sharing progress on our second commitment: increase outreach and engagement.

In 2019, DEED workforce development leaders started with a listening tour – traveling more than 1300 miles across the state to visit CareerForce locations and meet with local communities to understand their experiences with the agency. DEED leaders believe that leadership is rooted in listening, and each year DEED has continued community engagement sessions to ensure our programs are meeting the needs of communities.

DEED recognizes that reducing racial disparities in the workforce requires a dramatic increase in relationship building, outreach, and engagement across the state. For this new effort, the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) shifted focus to take on an increased external role of community engagement and an internal role supporting DEED staff in meeting their equity goals. The OEO consists of a director, the American Indian Tribal Liaison, and the Community Services & Government Relations Coordinator. Additionally, following an Executive Order by Governor Walz and a new law passed during the 2021 Legislative Session, DEED is required to consult with Minnesota’s 11 federally-recognized American Indian nations. 

OEO Accomplishments in 2021 include: 

• 435 outreach and engagement activities with external groups, DEED staff, tribal nations and American Indian groups, and other state agencies
• 60 Community Calls—these are weekly half hour updates from our agency, and partners, to share timely information and get to know state agency leaders
• 20 interviews, blogs, editorials sharing news from our agency, including in Spanish
• Partnerships and support with Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Office
• 10 Tribal Consultations
• 150 requests for technical assistance from the American Indian community

The OEO office has plans to expand capacity through hiring – Nima Hussein is DEED’s new Community Services & Government Relations Coordinator, focusing on economic development outreach – and by creating new platforms for online engagement. The work of relationship building and creating a more inclusive economy will continue to evolve and is a focus for every team at DEED.

Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

DEED’s outreach and public engagement also expanded in 2020 with the addition of a new Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, Anisa Hajimumin. The most recent Census data shows that almost every county in Minnesota has increased in ethnic diversity since 2010, with the number of foreign-born residents jumping by 27% in the Twin Cities metro area and 37% in Greater Minnesota. Communities across our state are attracting and welcoming immigrants from all parts of the globe and from different educational and socio-economic backgrounds. New Americans need to be included in the state’s employment and economic growth and supported through the integration process. These public engagement efforts will help Minnesota’s economy grow and New Americans reach their full potential.

In the past two years, the expanded outreach and engagement capacity to support New Americans has resulted in:

• 15 monthly Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Forums sharing resources and information to connect communities to state agencies.
• Connecting over 350 immigrant and refugee callers with the appropriate resources for business, employment, housing, grants, and loans.
• Supporting a state task force called Welcoming Allies to assist in supporting Afghan evacuees.
• Plans for an Office of New Americans to continue work with state agencies to ensure New Americans participate in economic growth and prosperity in Minnesota.

In addition to the added capacity at DEED through the efforts of the Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, and the Office of Economic Opportunity, DEED is also rolling out new programs supporting BIPOC-owned businesses and honing our outreach efforts for existing programs.

Expanding language access

In the last three years, DEED programs have made language access a priority and increased the availability of translated materials that describe and promote DEED services.

• One example is the Employment and Training Program Rapid Response team who worked with the Department of Labor and Industry to produce comprehensive worker resource guide for food processing employees that was distributed and translated into fifteen languages for meatpacking and poultry processing workers.
• The guide provided workers with state agency contact information for their work-related Covid-19 questions.

DEED also increased translations to support small business pandemic relief funding.

• In July 2020, DEED implemented a Small Business Covid Relief Grant program that provided $60 million to business owners. A second round of Small Business Covid Relief Grants were distributed in September 2021.
• The first round of funding included translated print materials in Spanish, Somali, and Hmong, and resulted in 5,117 applications received from businesses owned by people who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color.
• In the second round, DEED translated video and print materials into Vietnamese, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali and co-hosted ten outreach sessions, including sessions in Hmong, and Chinese, and increased the availability of funds for our partners to use in promoting the application process.
• The increased time for outreach and increase in translated materials available resulted in a 30% increase in applications from businesses owned by people of color. This increase is due in large part to the strong partner network of CDFIs and business support organizations who spread the word and supported applicants.

DEED will continue to move forward the agency’s commitment to increased outreach and engagement with a racial equity focus, so that our economy works, for all Minnesotans.