An interview with Anndrea Young, Housing Advocate and 5th Ward City Council Candidate
Preface: Starting this month, Asian Media Access plans to host a series of interviews with Northside neighbors and see how we all can navigate this new reality together and seek ways to support our neighbors in needs. This first interview is with Anndrea Young, Northside Housing Advocate.
Q. Anndrea, thanks for taking on this interview with AMA. Please introduce yourself, and your experience at the Northside.
Hello, my name is Anndrea Young. I am a north Minneapolis Native and longtime resident. I grew up playing at the parks and also attending Minneapolis Public Schools. When I was old enough, I spent my summers volunteering at places like the Minneapolis Urban League, and even when I moved away and would come back home to visit, I would find ways to give back to the community, by doing things like volunteering at the Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club. I have always had a passion for making a difference in the place that I am from. I used to believe that I had to do this by working with youth. So, I found jobs working at Phyllis Wheatley’s Mary T Welcome program or Cookie Cart. With a true determination to help youth understand that they are important and so are their dreams.
I found my true calling when I started work for the Heritage Park Neighborhood Association. This is where I have had the opportunity to grow into the role of advocacy for not only the residents of the Sumner-Glenwood neighborhood, but also for North Minneapolis in general. Starting off as a Community Organizer and working my way up to become their Executive Director, I have had the opportunity to be a part of transit conversations from the Blue Line Extension Project, Bring Back 6th and Olson Memorial Hwy work, or even the I-94/394 elbow work group. I have the chance to bring engagement opportunities and resources into the community such as Housing Justice and Earth Day Clean Up events. Informational events like 5th Ward Council forums in partnership with NRRC, Park and Recs, and Harrison Neighborhood Association. Lastly, I will get to partner with the University of Minnesota to bring Restorative Work into the community to now help with providing healing processes into the community.
Q. Those are so valuable experience, tell us more about your vision for the Northside?
My vision for north Minneapolis is to build a community that we all can thrive in. Through economic growth, healing, bridging the gap on disparities and restorative practices, I believe that we can become a Ward with less crime, more community involvement, and developments that help us to want to protect and respect the community in which we live. I do understand that this will take time, but with the right leader in front of the work, I believe that anything is possible.
When I decided to run for the 5th Ward City Council, my promise to my constituents is to be available and reliable. I have received a mass amount of emails from current constituents with the fear of not being heard. I want to let you know that your voices matter. There is no way that I would be able to become a City Council member without you and I promise to always elevate the issues that you all bring to me. I am also a resident of the Ward, these are not just your issues, but they are mine too. We all matter and I promise to make sure that you all feel that way.
Q. Thanks for sharing, love you mention – not just your issues, but they are mine too. Can you expand more, since we are in this new era for substantial federal funding and services cut, how can we all work together to better support members in needs?
One we have to make sure that we pay attention to funding cuts at a local level. From there, I believe that we should work together with our elected officials to make sure that we can better utilize local and state funding. Requesting for transparency about policy changes and educating us on how the changes will affect us as a community.
Secondly, we need to make sure that we are strengthening partnerships with organizations. Hone in on the resources that are in the community and figure out ways to fill gaps where funding is needed. Lastly, I would suggest that we work together as a community to come up with solutions together. The community is filled with brilliant people and if we all work together to solve the problems before us, including cuts I am sure that we can come up with some powerful solutions!
Q. Can’t let you go, without asking your perspective for the Blue Line Extension, can you share more of your viewpoints on that?
The Blue Line Extension is coming into our community and I know that we have a community that is divided on this infrastructure. This project is projected to bring a large investment to us. We have to make sure that we are at the table of these conversations to make sure that the project is for us. North Minneapolis deserves investments that will bring us opportunities like the rest of Minneapolis. We have been left behind for far too long and if it takes for an investment as large as the light rail to get us what we finally deserve let’s make sure that we are all at the table of conversations. I know that there is the fear of displacement, as a member of the Blue Line Coalition we are working hard to set policies that prevent displacement from happening. There is currently $10 million dollars’ worth of funding that will go into the community that will also help with these efforts. Yes, I do know that this is not enough, but as an advocate of North Minneapolis, I am committed to continue to advocate for more. I just ask that as constituents of the community you join me in unity to do the same.
FMI: If members is interested in connecting with Anndrea, please send her an e-mail at anndreayoung4ward5@gmail.com. If members is interested in sharing their viewpoints with Asian Media Access, please contact us at amamedia@amamedia.org
